Tomaru's Story
by the amber dragonfly
Summary: The story of Sesshoumaru's son Tomaru and how he came to be. SessKag Rated for language, mature content, and character death. COMPLETE I think
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Naraku, this is it! You are gonna die!"

Above the din and clamor of the ongoing battle rings the voice of clear conviction and smug confidence. A man, appearing to be about 20 years of age, jumps unbelievably high in the air, wielding a huge fang-like sword. He wears a red haori made of fire-rat fur and red hakama pants and his feet are bare. The most remarkable thing about this young man is not his waist-length silver-white hair, but the two snow white pointed dog ears poking out of the top of his head.

The young man bought his fang-sword down on a ghastly root-like tentacle, slicing it in two. Another tentacle reached for the young man from behind, but was struck by a jingling shakujou staff. The young man turned around to see a dark-haired monk dressed in black and indigo robes, appearing about the same age as the hanyou, wielding the staff with deadly precision.

"Thanks, Miroku," the white-haired man said as he jumped into the air again.

"Just don't get overconfident, Inuyasha," Miroku the monk replied, slicing another tentacle in two with his staff. "We need to finish this tonight!"

"Miroku! Look out! Hiraikotsu!" A young woman wearing a black bodysuit with pink armor riding a large cream and black-colored two-tailed demon cat flung a man-sized bone boomerang with deadly precision, hacking off two more tentacles that were reaching for the monk from behind. She leaped off the cat once the boomerang returned, landing lithely next to Miroku. "Stop jabbering and start fighting!"

Her waist-length dark brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and it whipped Miroku on the back of his head as she whirled around, using her Hiraikotsu to block tentacles attempting to reach them.

"Sango! Have a care with that weapon!" Miroku admonished, standing back to back with her.

"What are you talking about, Miroku?" Sango replied, distracted by the tentacles. "I haven't even come close to hitting you."

Miroku fended off another tentacle and took the opportunity to reach back and squeeze Sango's behind. "I was talking about that ponytail of yours… it is deadly too."

Sango's whole body did a cold-shower-like shiver, with her brown eyes open wide in shock. She whirled on him, her face bright red in embarrassment. "Miroku! _What_ do you think you're doing? This is _not_ the time to be lecherous!" She picked up her boomerang, the Hiraikotsu, and swung it at him.

Miroku blanched pure white and ducked. She tried to hit him! She missed him and ended up slicing off a bunch of tentacles that had snuck up behind Miroku while he was copping his feel. He looked up at her, his blue eyes wide. "Eh… you… meant to hit those and not me…. right?"

Sango snorted and jumped away, leaving him to ponder her true intentions. But he wasn't able to ponder long as Naraku closed in his tentacles on Miroku, attempting to absorb the monk into his body. Miroku jumped out of the way and landed next to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha," he asked, holding his staff in front of him like a shield. "When are Kagome and Kikyou going to find that baby? We can't keep this up forever…" Inuyasha grunted, slicing more tentacles.

"I don't know, but they better do it soon! Naraku needs to die!" Inuyasha jumped up and away, heading for Naraku's main body. Naraku, the result of a thief named Omigumo and a horde of demons merging into one body, had the upper torso and head of a human, but multitudes of other demon parts sprouting from his waist: spider legs, tentacles, warty-looking sections. All in all, Naraku was a nasty creature to behold.

However, the creature was immortal, as his heart resided in a most unlikely creature- a white-haired, lavender-eyed infant that was no woman-born baby. The child had the terrifying ability to manipulate one's heart and soul and could speak as an adult. If this child, Naraku's heart, could be destroyed, Naraku would be vanquished forever.

Another figure entered the battlefield, calm, cool, and collected. His long white hair and golden eyes were the same as Inuyasha's, but that was where the similarities ended. He gazed at the scene before him with an expressionless face, then swiftly jumped, drew his sword, and sliced off a claw, then proceeded to attack Naraku as well. Sango spotted the newcomer from her battle position on Kirara's back.

"Sesshoumaru! What is _he_ doing here?" She wondered to herself. Inuyasha's half-brother usually didn't join forces with his little brother and his friends. She shook her head. Now was not the time to be wondering. She took in the battle below her, watching as Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru parried words and insults as they fought against Naraku's endless limbs.

"I told you, jackass, I'm going to be the one to finish off Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled at his brother as he jumped out of the way of another of Naraku's attacks. "So just back off!"

Sesshoumaru gave his little brother his usual bored glance, his white hair blowing back from his face, showing his purple crescent moon mark on his forehead and magenta stripes on his cheeks clearly in the moonlight. He jumped toward his brother, seemingly intent on delivering an attack to silence the young hanyou.

"Where is your miko, little brother? Have you abandoned her again?"

"Shaddup!"

"Or perhaps she has finally realized the futileness of trying to obtain your attention when you are so obviously still involved with the dead one."

"Keh! What would you know about it? Now watch as I destroy Naraku once and for all!" Inuyasha lifted his fang-sword and headed toward Naraku's main body.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. Stupid hanyou. Didn't he realize that the young miko was in love with him? Probably not. He never was much on intelligence.

Sango and Miroku listened to the byplay as they continued to fight Naraku. Why _was_ Sesshoumaru here?

_**-------Disclaimer--------**_

_**I do not own Inuyasha or any part thereof**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

While the battle with Naraku continued, the real battle was just beginning elsewhere. Kikyou, a resurrected priestess who once loved Inuyasha, and Kagome, Kikyou's incarnation from the future who also loved Inuyasha, were watching Kanna, a pale white-haired little girl who was Naraku's first incarnation, who was holding their target: the baby.

Kagome and Kikyou exchanged a glance, where Kagome nodded. Kagome knocked an arrow, aimed it at Kanna then let a purified arrow fly. The pale little girl turned to the side just as the arrow missed her, but the distraction had done its work. Kikyou was near Kanna's side in an instant, her stronger purified arrow headed straight for the baby in Kanna's arms.

Kanna gave a brief gasp of surprise. She was Naraku's incarnation, representing the Void and was able to see everything in her mirror, but the two priestesses had caught her off guard with their distraction ploy. The arrow pierced the baby and passed into Kanna. The two creatures of Naraku were frozen, looks of shock and disbelief on their faces. Then Kikyou rushed to Kanna and the baby. She looked back briefly at Kagome, who had emerged from where she had hidden in the trees.

"Take care of Inuyasha for me." Kikyou smiled sadly. She turned back to Kanna and the baby, placed her hands on both heads, closed her eyes and concentrated. There was a great glow that blinded Kagome, and then a strong pulse of energy blew Kagome over. The energy pulse radiated out to where Inuyasha and his friends were battling Naraku.

As the pulse hit Naraku, he froze, his pupils receding to pinpoints. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango all paused, looking at Naraku as he stood there. "NO… how… could you? Ki…kyo… Ka…go…me… you've _killed_ me!"

Inuyasha took advantage of Naraku's immobility. "_KONGOSOUHA!"_ He brought his Tetsusaiga, his father's fang-sword, down on Naraku's body, hoping to annihilate the evil demon once and for all. Diamond shards flew out from the Tetsusaiga as it hit the ground, fanning out across the landscape. As Inuyasha grinned triumphantly, his smile was suddenly erased as his eyes widened in shock, his pupils contracting into pinpoints. Naraku chuckled weakly as his final attack lay Inuyasha's body open, fatally wounding the hanyou. Inuyasha flew backwards, covered in his own blood. Naraku's body was now in disintegrating pieces, which Miroku now saw as his opportunity to finish the job.

"KAZAANAAA!" Miroku pulled the rosary beads that sealed his right hand off and opened his hand, revealing a black hole in his hand that proceeded to suck everything in front of him into the void. Naraku himself had placed the Wind Tunnel curse on Miroku's grandfather, which in turn had been passed down to Miroku's father and then to Miroku himself. The Wind Tunnel grew with every passing year, until it finally sucked the bearer into the void itself. The only way to remove the curse was to destroy Naraku once and for all. Ironic then, that Naraku's blasted and battered remains were now being sucked into the very Wind Tunnel he had cursed Miroku's father and grandfather with.

Naraku screamed and wailed as he was sucked into the fathomless void. Sango had dug her Hiraikotsu into the ground and held on, while the wind whipped her hair toward the deadly Wind Tunnel. Sesshoumaru, too, had to abandon his usual confident stance to brace himself against the pull of the void. Kirara landed behind Sango, digging her claws into the ground to help brace the Demon Slayer.

As Naraku's last piece disappeared into Miroku's palm, the wind tunnel began to shrink. Miroku fell to his knees and turned his hand around to look at his hand. The hole got smaller and smaller, until it disappeared completely, leaving Miroku's right palm whole and normal once more. Miroku fell forward on his hands, tears falling from his eyes. It was over. It was finally, finally over.

Sango looked up as the wind died. Miroku had fallen on hands and knees and was crying. Inuyasha… Inuyasha! Sango remembered how badly Naraku had wounded him. Was he still alive? Where were Kagome and Kikyou? Sango jumped to her feet and ran for the still form on the ground that was Inuyasha's battered body.

"No," she whispered as she saw the tragedy in front of her. "Inuyasha, no! Hold on! We'll find Kagome… she'll know what to do!" Sango quickly leapt to her feet, running to Kirara and jumping on her back. "Miroku!" She called as they flew away. "Try to stop Inuyasha's bleeding! I'm going to find Kagome and Kikyou!"

Miroku shook himself out of his shock, then hurried over to where Inuyasha lay, bleeding profusely from a series of deadly wounds that left his body almost sliced in half. His golden eyes were open wide, staring and beginning to glaze over. "No, Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled as he pulled off his kesa and tried to bandage Inuyasha's mangled torso back together. "You cannot die on us! Kagome will be here soon. You _must_ hold on, for her sake at least!"

Sango and Kirara flew swiftly through the sky, following Kirara's keen sense of smell to find where Kagome and Kikyou had fought their battle with Kanna and the baby. Kirara landed next to a circular burnt out area of terrain, where a young black-haired girl in a green and white modern Japanese school uniform kneeled on the ground, her face frozen in shock. "Kagome!" Sango yelled down to her. When the young girl didn't answer, Sango jumped off Kirara's back, landing next to Kagome in a graceful crouch.

"Kagome? Inuyasha…. He's been…" Sango trailed off as Kagome continued to stare vacantly at the center of the burned out crater. "What happened? Where's Kikyou?"

Kagome turned her head slowly and looked up at Sango, her eyes gradually coming into focus. "She's… gone. She gave up her life in order to seal away Naraku's heart and evil forever." She turned her gaze back to the burned out circle. "She told me to take care of Inuyasha for her…" Her brown eyes filled with tears.

Sango remembered why she had come. "Inuyasha is why I'm here, Kagome!" She grabbed Kagome's shoulders and forced the younger girl to look at her. "He's severely wounded, maybe even dying! We need you and your medicines!"

Kagome's eyes opened in shock as her heart hit her stomach. "Inuyasha! He's hurt?" She grabbed her bow, arrows, and her backpack and jumped up. "Let's go!" Sango nodded and the two women mounted Kirara, who had landed nearby for easy access. The two-tail cat leaped into the air, flying as fast as she could back to where Miroku was standing vigil over the dying hanyou.

----------

Sesshoumaru gazed at the monk, who was trying to save his pathetic brother's life. What had he hoped to accomplish? Saving a useless hanyou from his much-sought after death? He turned away, intent on leaving, when something… _something_… stopped him. A feeling of pity? Concern? He was not sure, but he knew that there was some reason for him to stay.

_**-------Disclaimer--------**_

_**I do not own Inuyasha or any part thereof**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Kagome's heart was thumping hard against her chest as Kirara raced back to the battlefield. How badly was Inuyasha hurt? Would she be able to help him? Her breath caught as her thoughts turned to the worst: what if he… died? Tears started to slide down her cheeks. No. She couldn't lose him. She wouldn't give up and she wouldn't let him give up either.

Kirara finally started her descent to where Inuyasha lay, with a silent Miroku locked in prayer at his side. Kagome wiped the tears off her face and jumped off Kirara before the demon cat even landed on the ground. She ran to Inuyasha, her face pale.

Inuyasha lay wrapped in Miroku's kesa, but the entire cloth had already changed from blue to black with the vast amount of blood loss from his wounds. His golden eyes were open but vacant.

"Inu…yasha?" Kagome whispered, her eyes growing wet with tears. He didn't respond and Kagome fell to her knees at his side, right in front of where his eyes were directed. "Inuyasha? It's Kagome… can you hear me?"

Miroku stood and walked over to Sango, who was watching the sad scene from a short distance away with Kirara, who had shrunk back to kitten size. Sango had tears in her eyes as she watched Kagome try to get Inuyasha to respond. As Miroku stopped next to her to watch them with her, Sango turned and hugged Miroku as tightly as she could. She may fight with him and act horrified at his lecherous ways, but in her heart she loved him with all her soul. She couldn't imagine losing Miroku the way Kagome might be losing Inuyasha.

Miroku looked down at Sango, shocked for a moment, then put his arms around her and embraced her, giving her all the love and comfort he could. Now that the threat of Naraku was gone, and with him the fatal Wind Tunnel, Miroku could now focus on living a normal life- be it as a monk, or as his heart desired: with Sango as his bride. He looked up at Kagome, who had turned her head away from Inuyasha for a moment, focusing on something else nearby.

"What is it, Kagome?" Miroku asked, concerned.

Kagome looked over at Miroku, a little stunned. "I… I sense…the Shikon no Tama that Naraku had. You know… the almost complete one?" She pointed to a place near where Naraku had started to disintegrate. "It's over there." She looked down at Inuyasha as she began stroking his head, his ears. "And Kouga is on his way… I can sense his shards as well."

Miroku looked down at Sango, who had turned to look at Kagome with an expression of shock and wonder. She turned her gaze up to the young monk and the two of them ran to where Kagome had pointed. Sure enough, sitting in the grass was the almost completed Shikon no Tama that Naraku had used to increase his power. Miroku picked it up and held it up, disbelieving that he was finally holding what they had been hunting for so long. He turned his gaze back to Kagome, who continued to stroke Inuyasha's head, her face blank and her eyes vacant.

"KAGOME!" A whirlwind raced toward them and Kouga the Wolf Demon appeared his blue eyes wide with concern. "Naraku… he's gone! How…?" He looked down at Inuyasha's inert form on the ground and Kagome's continuing caresses. His eyes widened more. "What happened to Mutt-face? He got his ass kicked, didn't he? Knew Naraku was too much for him- he should've just stayed home in doghouse…" Kouga trailed off as he caught the look from Miroku and Sango. "What?"

"Inuyasha was… fatally injured as Naraku was defeated," Miroku explained quietly. "There isn't anything we can do at this point…"

Kagome turned her head toward the trio, her eyes not focusing on anything. "There is one thing."

Sango looked down at Kagome. "What do you mean? Is there something you can do for him in your time or something?"

Kagome shook her head slightly, and then turned to Kouga.

"You know my feelings for you, Kouga, were never anything more than friendship," she said quietly, her gaze still unfocused. "But if you truly love me as you claim, then you will give me your jewel shards in your legs."

Kouga stared at her for a moment, completely nonplussed. "If I give you the shards…" he trailed off, his mind completing the meaning of her request. "I suppose, after all, now that all the shards are found and restored, that I don't need your shard-finding ability."

He looked down at her, his arms crossed and his expression grim. Then he turned his gaze to the still form of Inuyasha. "Besides," he grinned, "I suppose I should've told you that Ayame and I are to be mated." He closed his eyes and shook his head. He opened his eyes and looked down at Kagome again, seeing her paleness, her vacant stare, and her listless movements. She was hurting and it was all that stupid hanyou's fault.

He sat on the ground, legs crossed, eyes closed. Miroku and Sango watched him mutely as the Wolf Demon pondered his fate in silence. Kagome turned her attention, such as it was, back to Inuyasha. As she stroked the hanyou's white ears and gently touched his face, Kouga reached over and held out his hand, two slender jewel shards lying on his palm.

"Here," he said, trying to act gruff. "Although I don't know what good they will do you..." Kagome turned slightly, nodded, and took the two shards. Then she turned toward Sango.

"Kohaku? You can come out now. Naraku is gone." She turned her attention back to Inuyasha for the moment, as Sango turned around to see her little brother Kohaku standing nervously behind them.

"Kohaku? You… you're okay?" Sango flung herself at her little brother, who joyfully accepted her hug.

"Yes, sister," he replied, sadly. "My memories- I have them back. But I also had the realization that while I did horrible things in my life, I have the chance to do something good now." He pulled out of her embrace and walked to Kagome and Inuyasha. Sango watched him go, her heart heavy and denial caught in her throat.

The young boy kneeled next to Kagome, his head bowed. "Naraku gave me this shard so that he could use me to hurt others. Please- I ask that you now use it to heal Inuyasha and end the last of the evil of Naraku."

Kagome looked up at Sango, her gaze finally focusing on the silently crying young woman. "Sango?"

Sango smiled through her tears. "It's all right, Kagome," she said quietly. "I knew this day would have to come eventually. I'm just happy that Kohaku's death will save Inuyasha's life."

Kagome nodded her head once. Kohaku remained as he was, kneeling with his head bowed.

Kagome reached over slowly, saddened by the turn of events. She touched his shoulder where the jewel shard rested, feeling for its exact location. With her other hand, she lifted one of her arrows. Verifying where the jewel shard was, she brought the arrow down hard, wincing as she did so. A small, pinkish jewel shard popped out, and immediately after the shard left, Kohaku smiled as his body fell forward. He finally felt at peace.

Kagome reached over and picked up the final jewel shard, looking at it. She looked down at her beloved Inuyasha, who was fading as they waited. Sango dropped to her knees next to Kohaku's body, lifting it partially into her lap and giving him one last embrace as she watched Kagome. Miroku kneeled by Sango's side, offering her his support. He closed his eyes and spoke some rites for Kohaku.

Kagome turned her attention back to the jewel shards. She placed the final three shards with the larger jewel between her hands and clasped them together in front of her heart, as though praying.

A pale pink light shone out from between Kagome's clasped hands as she concentrated, her eyes closed but tearful. This had to work. Finally, she opened her eyes and opened her hands.

Miroku and Sango both looked into her hands to see a perfectly spherical, completed Shikon no Tama. It was done! All the shards of the jewel had been found and restored.

Kagome turned her attention back to Inuyasha, still holding the Shikon no Tama in her hand. She leaned down and looked into Inuyasha's eyes.

"Inuyasha? Can you hear me?" She caressed his dog ears gently as she brushed his white hair out of his face.

Inuyasha's eyes came slightly into focus, blinking. He spoke, his voice rough and weak. "Ka-gome? Wha-what…?" He coughed, blood trickling out of the side of his mouth. Kagome shushed him.

"It's going to be okay, Inuyasha," she whispered, cupping his face in her hand. "Naraku is defeated, completely. It's over."

Inuyasha lifted his arm and took her hand. He focused his eyes as best he could on Kagome's face- she was starting to fade from his vision. "Kagome- there's something I need to tell you, before it's too late," he rasped out. Kagome tried to quiet him again, but he squeezed her hand tighter.

"No! I need to say this," he growled. "I may not get another chance, and I know it." He passed his gaze around his friends, his brother, and finally landing on Kouga, who was watching a short distance away, his arms folded across his chest. "Sesshoumaru!" he called out in a grunt. "I know you're still here. I can smell your stink."

Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru, who walked over and stared down at Inuyasha with bored disinterest on his face. "What do you want now, half-breed? Can't you just die and get it over with?"

Inuyasha growled, and winced in pain. "I don't have time to listen to your griping right now," he spat. "I need you to promise me you'll send Kagome back to her home after I'm gone."

_**-------Disclaimer--------**_

_**I do not own Inuyasha or any part thereof**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Everyone, excluding Sesshoumaru, took a collective gasp in shock. Sesshoumaru simply looked slightly irritated. "And why would I do such a thing? Ningens mean nothing to me. Especially this weak miko."

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, and coughed again. "I know YOU can deal with her, what with all your boasting and gloating all the time. She won't listen to anyone." He looked up at Sesshoumaru and glared. "So you had better do it or I'll come back to haunt you."

Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome, who gazed back at him. The Inu no Taishou relayed no expression whatsoever, but his golden eyes regarded her with a tinge of… curiosity? She looked back down at Inuyasha, her eyes full of tears. "Baka," she whispered.

"If you die, hanyou, then I suppose I could just kill the miko and be done with it," Sesshoumaru replied, obviously irritated with the request.

Inuyasha growled. "You can't kill her, bastard. She defeated Naraku. You owe her."

The Dog Lord sighed. "Very well, half-breed. I will guard your miko for you."

Inuyasha smiled weakly, turning his gaze back to Kagome. "Oi… Kagome."

She leaned down over him, holding his hand tightly. "Yes, Inuyasha?"

"Kagome," he whispered, almost like a prayer. His face was becoming paler as he lost more blood and his vision was fading. "There is one last thing I have to tell you, that I never could before." He reached up with a shaking hand to touch her face. "I love you, Kagome."

Her heart stopped as she heard his words. Tears started flowing copiously down her cheeks as she fell gently onto his chest and hugged him softly as she could with his wounds. "Oh, Inuyasha," she cried. Sango and Miroku sat nearby, tears in their eyes as well. "I love you too," she sobbed into his chest. "I've always loved you."

He smiled, which was a rarity with Inuyasha. "I know." He closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. "Now I can die in peace." His consciousness began to fade.

Kagome lifted her head, tears still falling onto his bloody robe. "No! Inuyasha, don't you die on me! You can't!" She placed the Shikon no Tama over his heart as she pulled him closer to her. "I won't go anywhere without you, Inuyasha!"

As Inuyasha's breath became shallower and more labored, she leaned over with one hand covering the Shikon no Tama resting over Inuyasha's heart. She kissed him as he took his last breaths.

As she held her lips to his, a pink glow began under her hand where the Shikon no Tama rested against Inuyasha's chest. The glow grew brighter quickly, enveloping Kagome and Inuyasha in its radiance. Sango and Miroku clung to each other as they stared and Kouga backed away swiftly. Sesshoumaru stood silently as he watched the events unfold.

As the glow faded, Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha. She lifted her hand from his chest, and the Shikon no Tama was gone.

"Kagome?" Miroku was the first to speak.

Kagome didn't reply, but looked down at Inuyasha as he lay there. He stirred and opened his golden eyes, his gaze clear. "Kagome?" He sat up, putting a hand to his head. He looked down at himself, wrapped in Miroku's kesa. He quickly pulled it off to reveal his tattered clothing clinging to his completely healed torso. His gaze shot over to Kagome's. "What happened? What did you do?"

Kagome sat back and looked at him, her heart in her throat. "I- I used the Shikon jewel to save your life," she whispered, suddenly afraid. He had planned to use the jewel to become a full-fledged demon and now it was too late. The jewel was gone.

Sesshoumaru stared in mute wonder at his alive-again brother and then shook his head. Such was the love of a mortal, he supposed. He thought about his little Rin, and remembered how she had cared for him after he lost his left arm in that first battle against Inuyasha and his Tetsusaiga. He supposed the love of the miko was just as strong. He felt a twinge somewhere in his chest at the thought.

He turned to leave, then noticed Sango and the monk still crouched by the dead boy's side. He had vowed to kill Kohaku once, but something changed his mind. He saw how the miko had sacrificed everything to save his worthless brother. What would she say if he also did something for someone else?

He walked over to Sango and Miroku, who looked up at him in silent shock. He pulled out his Tenseiga and let it pulse over the body of the dead Demon Slayer. The minions of the underworld appeared to Sesshoumaru, and he used the sword to destroy them as they hovered around Kohaku's body. He then sheathed the Tenseiga and turned away, never having spoken a word.

Sango and Miroku watched him walk away, still holding each other. What was that all about? They turned as one back to Kohaku's body. As they watched, Kohaku drew breath and opened his eyes, crouching up to get on all fours. He sat back on his heels, then turned around and looked at Sango.

"Sango?" Kohaku said a little confused. "What happened? I was dead, wasn't I?"

Sango stared in shock at Kohaku, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh, Kohaku!" she cried as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly to her. Miroku watched as the siblings embraced and he wiped away a tear.

"Who would've thought Sesshoumaru would do something like this?" Miroku asked softly. He watched Inuyasha's brother walk away and he smiled. It seemed that something had happened to the normally cold-hearted Dog Demon.

Inuyasha watched Sesshoumaru for a second then turned back to Kagome, who was watching him with tears in her eyes. "Wait a minute! What the hell is going on around here?" he fairly shouted at Kagome. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her face to face with him, his nose mere centimeters from hers. "Why am I still alive? _Where is the Shikon jewel?_"

Kagome turned her face away. Miroku stood up and walked to Inuyasha's side, kneeling down and placing a hand on the hanyou's shoulder.

"Easy now, Inuyasha," he said. "Yelling at Kagome isn't going to get you any answers." He turned to Kagome as well. "Kagome, where is the jewel?" he asked again.

"It's gone," she replied softly. "I don't know what happened to it. I just used its power to save Inuyasha's life and it disappeared." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha released Kagome's shoulders and sat back on his butt and crossed his legs, staring vacantly in Kagome's direction. "It's… gone?" he asked stupidly. "But…"

Miroku cut him off with a glance. "If you had died, you wouldn't have become a full-fledged youkai either, Inuyasha," he said sharply. He looked over at Sango and Kohaku, who were watching them. "If it were me, I'd be infinitely grateful that I had been given a second chance at a life with the woman I loved, rather than be forced to leave her side in death."

Kouga huffed. "Feh," he said. "Death comes to all humans, and that includes mutts like him." He stood up and looked down at Kagome, pointing at Inuyasha who was staring with a rather dumb look on his face at Kagome. "It was wrong of you to keep him from death when it was his time, Kagome." He knelt down and clasped her hand, staring into her wide brown eyes. "Especially when you had a man like _me_ to take care of you…"

Inuyasha jumped to his feet at that comment, standing like a monkey with a look of absolute disgust and irritation on his face. He shook a fist at Kouga. "Oi, mangy wolf! Shut your mouth or you'll know first-hand what death is like!"

_**-------Disclaimer--------**_

_**I do not own Inuyasha or any part thereof**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Kouga just shook his head. "You should be thanking her, Inuyasha, not yelling at her. She just saved your worthless life."

"I never asked her to, baka! I was ready to die!"

Kagome gasped as Inuyasha yelled at the Wolf demon. The hanyou whirled on her, his golden eyes blazing in fury.

"And you! You stupid bitch! I didn't ask you to save me! I didn't want you to! If I can't be a full youkai I don't want to be saved!" He grabbed the Tetsusaiga and threw the battered-looking sword away. It landed several yards away from him- taking its protective aura with it.

Kagome's cry of dismay and pain squeaked out as she tried in vain to halt it. Kouga glared at Inuyasha and Miroku stood up, a look of real anger crossing his usually serene features.

"Inuyasha! Apologize to Kagome! She saved you because she loves you!"

Inuyasha turned to the monk, his golden eyes flickering crimson. "I don't give a damn, monk. I only wanted to become a full youkai- and now she's taken that away from me! Hell, I can't even die with honor!"

Sesshoumaru recognized the changes coming over his brother. Inuyasha's scent was changing as well- the fool was starting to transform again. He stepped forward, placing himself between the irate hanyou and the stunned miko.

"I suggest, little brother, that you calm down before you end up killing everyone in your rage."

Inuyasha glowered at his sibling. His eyes changed to blood red and, this time, stayed that color. Purple crests appeared on his cheeks and his fangs lengthened. Miroku stepped back, lifting his staff in a protective stance between the transforming hanyou and Sango and her brother.

Inuyasha lifted a hand and cracked his knuckles, showing his longer claws as he stared at Sesshoumaru. "What I do is no longer your concern, bastard," he growled deeply, his voice no longer recognizable. "If I choose to kill them, that's my problem." He looked toward Kagome, who was partially hidden behind Sesshoumaru. "After all, they're just humans. Why should _you_ care?"

Kagome tried to step forward, as if she could do something to stop this madness. Sesshoumaru used his only arm to push her back. She looked up at him in surprise. Why _did _he care what happened to them?

"You are simply a menace to this world, half-breed. You are only a killing machine- not a real youkai." He stepped forward, his own eyes turning red as well. "You could never be what _I_ am."

Everyone backed up swiftly. Kouga grabbed Kagome around the waist and propelled her to the safety of the nearby trees. The poor miko stared in confusion at the scene in the field. Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku appeared by their side, concerned about the events unfolding. Miroku held Inuyasha's abandoned sword in his hands as he questioned the Wolf demon.

"Kouga, what is Sesshoumaru thinking? He's likely to get killed by his brother now that Inuyasha has transformed."

Kouga shook his head at the monk. "I don't really know. Sesshoumaru _is_ the Inu no Taishou- the strongest youkai in the Western Lands. He wouldn't be the Lord if he wasn't."

"He's going to kill Inuyasha, isn't he..." Kagome whispered. It was more of a statement rather than a question. Someone was going to end up dead. The only question was would it be Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru?

"It would appear that the brothers are finally going to fight to the death," Sango said softly. Kohaku nodded.

---------------

"I'm finally going to kill you, you bastard," Inuyasha growled. "And then I'm going to kill that bitch for taking away my chance to be a full youkai!"

Sesshoumaru simply stared at Inuyasha. Had the fool completely lost his mind? He had just finished declaring his love for the miko and now he was that eager for her death?

"I don't like the feeling I get when I'm like this," the hanyou continued, stalking his prey, "but with the Shikon no Tama I was going to be a powerful youkai, not this pathetic hanyou that everybody hates! Everyone would fear me!"

Sesshoumaru growled. This was beyond idiotic. Best to put the puppy out of his misery before he killed indiscriminately.

"Inuyasha! Stop, please!"

Kagome came running out of the safety of the trees, Tetsusaiga clutched tightly to her chest. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Sesshoumaru stared at her. Was the miko suicidal as well as his idiot brother?

She placed herself between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. Unsheathing the sword, she brandished the rusty blade in shaking hands- at Inuyasha.

"Don't kill him, Inuyasha! He's not the bad guy! Didn't he help us fight Naraku?"

"Bitch," the hanyou growled, cracking his hand again, "you're both dead to me."

Sesshoumaru pushed Kagome to the side again. When she looked up at him in irritation and worry, he glared at her.

"Step back, miko, or else that baka brother of mine will have your blood on his claws before I have his on mine."

"I won't let him hurt you! You helped us!"

"He will not be able to touch me, miko. Now step back and this Sesshoumaru will finish him!"

A strange, heartbeat-like pulse enveloped the arguing human and tai-youkai. Everything paused as three gazes fell onto the source:

The Tetsusaiga.

The blade shook in Kagome's hands, but not from her own nerves. Sesshoumaru looked at the sword with trace confusion. Inuyasha simply glared at his weapon with contempt and hatred. Four faces watching from the trees held their breath.

Very slowly Sesshoumaru reached out and grasped the hilt of the Tetsusaiga from between Kagome's small hands. Everyone gasped in complete astonishment as the blade transformed from rusty sword to the large fang-like weapon that Inuyasha had claimed so long ago- without burning the tai-youkai's hand. He held up his father's fang and regarded it for a moment. His golden gaze returned to his brother.

"It would seem, little brother, that Tetsusaiga has claimed a new master."

_**-------Disclaimer--------**_

_**I do not own Inuyasha or any part thereof**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kagome gasped and stepped back as Sesshoumaru pointed Tetsusaiga at its former master. As she retreated from Sesshoumaru's side, the fang sword diminished and the rusty blade returned.

"What in Kami's name…?" The tai-youkai held up the sword again, irritation becoming more evident on his face.

Kagome stepped closer to look at the sword. When she was close enough to the Inu no Taishou to touch him, Tetsusaiga flared to life again, becoming the large fang once more.

Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome. Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru. Realization dawned at the same moment for both of them.

"It will only transform for me if you are near me, miko."

"Apparently so."

"Quit yer stallin' and come meet my claws!" Inuyasha roared as he jumped toward his brother, nails extended with the intent to disembowel the youkai.

Sesshoumaru swept Kagome up in his arm and dodged the attack easily. He set her down and placed himself between her and his irrational brother. "Do not move from my side, miko."

"I have a name, you know," she muttered. He didn't give any reaction that he had heard her and regarded Inuyasha. How was he supposed to fight him with the miko near him?

"Very well, _Kagome_," he replied very quietly without looking at her. "How do you suggest this Sesshoumaru should battle his baka brother without having the sword revert?"

Working on impulse, the young woman gathered her nerve and did the unthinkable:

She jumped onto the back of Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands and clung to his back as she had to his brother countless times before.

Four simultaneous crashes sounded from the nearby woods as Kouga, Miroku, Sango and Kohaku all fell over.

Sesshoumaru stood there in stunned shock for all of five seconds. "What in all the hells do you think you are doing?" he hissed.

"Be quiet!" she hissed right back. "Inuyasha would carry me for miles like this and if _he_ can do it so effortlessly then I'm sure the great and powerful Inu no Taishou can do it too!"

He sighed. It was true that her insignificant weight wouldn't be a burden for him to bear during this battle. Damned if he'd let _her_ know that.

"Very well, miko. _Do not let go!_"

_As if_, she thought to herself.

Sesshoumaru wielded the sword expertly against the rabid hanyou. Inuyasha slashed and struck, trying in vain to reach his targets. He was so far gone in his anger and fury that he slowly ceased to speak, focusing only on trying to kill his brother and the friend who once loved him.

---------------

Sango and Miroku stared in absolute shock. Were they just seeing things, or was Kagome actually _riding_ on the back of the most powerful youkai that they had ever known? Kouga blinked.

"Well, I guess I'd better be getting back to my pack," he drawled, flipping his long black ponytail over his shoulder. "Be sure to let me know how long it takes him to kill that stupid mutt."

Miroku turned and bonked the wolf over the head with his fist. "Knock it off, Kouga. With Inuyasha in the rage that he's currently in, he very well could overpower his brother and kill them both. Then he will come after us."

Kouga snorted. "I doubt that. The Inu no Taishou will obliterate that arrogant hanyou before you could cough, monk. There's a reason he's the Lord of the Western lands."

Sango turned to Miroku and put her hand on his sleeve. "He's got a point, Houshi-sama. I've never seen Sesshoumaru lose to anyone. Even when he'd battle Inuyasha and it looked as though Inuyasha would triumph, he'd always abandon the fight."

Kohaku turned and watched the unfolding events with some confusion. "I don't really understand most of this, Ane-ue, but I have to agree with Kouga- I think that Sesshoumaru will end up killing Inuyasha."

Sango glanced back at the miko and the tai-youkai battling the crazed hanyou out on the field. "Poor Kagome. She's been through so much. Maybe we really should help Sesshoumaru get Kagome back to her time before Inuyasha can kill her."

Kouga and Kohaku looked somewhat confused by this suggestion, but now was not the time to go into great detail. Miroku nodded his agreement. "We will have to convince Sesshoumaru to simply knock Inuyasha out so that we can escape with Kagome. There's no reason for her to witness Inuyasha's death if we can prevent it."

"Again." Kouga snorted. "She's already seen him die once. What's one more time?"

Sango hit him over the head this time with her fist- and it hurt more than when the monk had hit him. "Baka. No wonder Inuyasha constantly wanted to kill you."

_**-------Disclaimer--------**_

_**I do not own Inuyasha or any part thereof**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As Inuyasha continued to slash and fight his own sword, now wielded by his older brother, Sesshoumaru could not seem to find it in his usually cold heart to slay his half-sibling.

_What in Kami's name is wrong with me? This fool is nothing more than a menace to the lives of everything in his path. I should kill him, just to get him out of the way. Why can't I?_

A slight tug on his haori gave him the answer. The miko. For some strange reason, he felt unable to slay the hanyou with her watching. She, who had given up everything to save his half-brother's miserable life, was now clinging to his back, enabling him to wield the Tetsusaiga, which had rejected him for so long.

The girl who always seemed to sacrifice everything for everyone else, never caring about her own needs or wants. What _was _it about this ningen that puzzled him so?

Fully irritated at his sudden appearance of compassion, the tai-youkai dodged a claw attack from his brother and landed a well-placed punch to the hanyou's face.

Inuyasha went down, out like a light.

Kagome peered over Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "Did… did you…?"

"No, miko. I have not killed the insolent whelp." He did not turn his head, but his golden gaze looked over his shoulder at her anyway. "Yet."

"Sesshoumaru!"

Kagome slid off the tai-youkai's back, looking at the source of the voice. Sure enough, Miroku and Sango were hurrying over, with Kohaku following close behind.

The inu-youkai gazed coldly at the humans. "Speak."

Miroku bowed respectfully. "We… we think it would be best, now, if Kagome were… to return to her home. Then Inuyasha would not be able to get her."

The look on Sesshoumaru's face never faltered. "Highly improbable. He would hunt her down."

Sango exchanged a look with Miroku. She nodded. They had to tell him.

"Kagome… well, she's…" the monk paused, unsure how much the tai-youkai would believe.

"She's from another time."

"Is she, now?"

Kagome stepped forward, next to Sesshoumaru and looked up at him. "Um… yes. I come from 500 years in the future. Through a well."

His blank, unresponsive gaze traversed her body, taking in her white and green school uniform, so different from the usual kimonos that females wore- youkai and ningen alike. "Imagine that." He turned towards her, giving her his undivided attention. "And you believe that Inuyasha will not follow you?"

Miroku cleared his throat. "We think that once Kagome goes through the well, it will close and she'll be safe in her own time. Inuyasha would not be able to follow her anymore."

"Show me."

All four humans jumped, startled. Sesshoumaru scooped Kagome up in his arm and took to the sky, leaving Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku staring after them in shock and Inuyasha still unconscious on the ground.

Sango turned. "Kirara!"

The twin-tail hurried out of the trees, flaring into her larger form as she approached her friends. The three humans hurriedly mounted the large cat, who then swiftly took to the skies after the Inu no Taishou.

--------------------

"Where?" The word was a command.

Kagome gulped. "Um… Inuyasha's Forest. Where he was pinned to that tree for fifty years? Do you know…?"

"Indeed, I know the location." Harsh words cut her off. He headed in the direction she had given him, flying swiftly on a cloud as only he could.

_Trippy… never thought I'd be able to fly like this without either an airplane or some really strong medication._ She looked down at the world below, marveling at how rich and green the landscape looked here in the past. In her own time, there were so many people and cities the green was almost gone.

Suddenly he descended. She dug her hands into his haori in fear, her eyes wide at sudden plunge. When Sesshoumaru's arm tightened around her waist, she looked up at him, startled to see his golden gaze fixated on her.

"I will not drop you, miko."

She blushed and looked away, loosening her grip on his haori. His strong hold on her waist did not lessen, however, until they were firmly on the ground. Only then did he release her.

She blinked. The Bone Eater's Well was only a few yards away. How had he known…?

"You mentioned a well, I believe," he said, his voice velvety smooth as he gazed at her. "This is the only one I know of near the tree where that half-breed was sealed."

"H-hai," she stuttered, walking slowly toward the well.

She had reached the well and had leaned over to peer inside. She turned her head to look back at where Sesshoumaru had been, only to be face to face with the yellow and purple sash the tai-youkai wore around his waist.

She yelped, straightening up and taking a half-step backwards. Her leg came up against the side of the well, causing her to fall.

Right into the well.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly as the miko stumbled and fell backwards into the well. He reached out with his only arm and caught one of her hands, preventing her fall.

Kagome looked up at him, flushing furiously. She dangled in the well like bait for a fish. "Um… arigatou, but this is how I get home."

"By falling backwards through a dry well?"

She blushed harder. "Not usually backwards, but hai, that's the basic concept."

He held her for a moment, eying her with a hint of skepticism. "Very well, then."

He released her hand and she stifled a gasp of surprise as she fell the few feet towards the bottom of the well.

Instead of being engulfed by the usual pink light, Kagome landed with an "oof!" and a cloud of dust and dirt on the dry bottom of the well. She blinked several times, wondering if she missed something. She looked up at the top of the well, seeing the clear blue sky instead of the wooden roof of the well-house.

Sesshoumaru's expressionless face appeared over the edge of the well. He narrowed his eyes when he saw her standing there with a confused look on her face.

"It would appear that your well trick did not work, miko."

"No!" she cried, falling to her knees, digging her fingers into the dirt as tears sprung to her eyes. "It has to work! I have to go home! I have to see my family!"

The scent of the girl's tears wafted up from the depths of the well, making Sesshoumaru pause. Why was the ningen crying? Wasn't this just a fabrication she made up?

He straightened up to watch the taijiya's twin-tail land nearby with its burden of the other three humans. Quickly they dismounted and rushed to the well.

"Sesshoumaru! Has she gone back already?"

The tai-youkai regarded the monk. "If you will look down, you will see that your miko is still here."

Disbelieving, Sango and Miroku peered into the well, Kohaku remaining by Kirara. Sure enough, at the bottom of the well was a dirty and crying Kagome, trying vainly to dig through the dirt.

"Kagome!" Sango called down to her. The younger girl looked up, her face streaked with dirt and tears. "What went wrong? Can't you get home?"

Kagome shook her head slowly, her gaze going vacant again. First she had to watch Inuyasha die, face his ire when she revived him with the Shikon no Tama, then he transformed and tried to kill her, and now she couldn't get back to her own time.

What in Kami's name was she supposed to do _now_?

------------------

Sesshoumaru watched as the miko allowed herself to be pulled out of the well by her friends. The girl looked completely forlorn and lost, not to mention covered in dirt and dust.

"Kagome? What happened?" The taijiya put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder in concern.

"The well. It… it's closed. I can't get home," the miko replied in a quiet monotone, as though she couldn't believe it. Miroku tightened his grip on his staff.

"You are stuck here, it would seem."

Three faces turned to look at the tai-youkai, who returned their gazes with no expression.

"I thought you didn't believe us," Miroku countered.

"It would explain quite a few things," Sesshoumaru replied dryly.

Kagome began to shake as the shock set in. "Oh, Kami… my mother… jii-chan… Souta… I'll never see them again…"

"Not to mention the fact that Inuyasha's still after you," Miroku added softly. Sango cast him a glaring look that made him cringe. "Gomen…"

Sesshoumaru turned and began to walk away. Kagome looked up and stared after him. She shot to her feet. "Wait!"

He paused, not bothering to turn completely around. She took a step forward, hesitantly.

"Are you going to kill Inuyasha?"

He faced forward again. "He needs to be stopped."

"Don't…"

This time he turned halfway around to look at her. "You still harbor feelings for that worthless hanyou."

"He's not worthless!" she yelled back. Then she fell to her knees in defeat.

"I… I know he needs to be stopped. There are so many lives at risk now…"

"The choice is simple: Inuyasha's life, or the lives of the many he will end up killing before he is killed by something else. Either way, he dies."

The miko looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. He froze, not that anyone would've noticed. _Those eyes…_

A much younger, smaller face entered his mind, bearing the same tear-filled eyes. _Please, Sesshoumaru-sama?_

Rin.

He mentally sighed. Any weakness was a potential threat, especially a weakness of the Inu no Taishou. Yet he silently admitted to himself that he could not handle a female's tears.

Even if she were ningen.

Perhaps that was _because_ she was ningen. Female youkai usually cared nothing for anyone or anything but themselves. Humans, he had discovered, could and did care for others. Especially his Rin.

And, obviously, this miko as well.

The two females were much alike, he admitted to himself. All purity and innocence- not wanting any evil to befall those they cared about, regardless of the sacrifices they had to make. They even resembled each other in the flesh as well as the soul.

Sesshoumaru walked back to the miko and crouched before her. She looked into his molten gaze, trying vainly to hold back tears. She blinked, causing a single tear to slide down her cheek.

"Onegai… don't make him suffer."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Sango gasped and Miroku stepped forward. "Kagome! Are… are you sure…?"

Kagome's gaze never left Sesshoumaru's. "…He won't ever revert back to normal… will he…" It was a statement, not a question.

Sesshoumaru shook his head slightly. "He will continue until he is killed." He placed his hand on the Tetsusaiga, which rested comfortably next to its twin, the Tenseiga. "He has chosen his fate."

Her gaze hardened, the tears she held back making her eyes bright. "Then… onegai… I want you to be the one to do it. No one else would be able to."

He smiled ever so slightly. "It's shocking that you think so highly of me."

Sango and Miroku both took a step back in surprise as Kagome growled and launched herself at the tai-youkai, beating on his chest with her small fists, tear streaming from her eyes.

"You… you insensitive…_baka_!" she cried as she hit him. The tai-youkai's gaze never left her, nor did he move. The miko's pathetic hits were as nothing to him. Yet something odd flickered in his eyes.

"Inu… Inuyasha… I…" she trailed off as she started to sob, her whole body shaking. She hunched over, her arms wrapped around herself as if she were cold. "G-gomen… gomen… nasai… Inuyasha…"

He should be feeling nothing. The miko's emotional outbursts were just annoyances. Yet something… shifted. _What if this was Rin, sobbing over your imminent death?_

_Highly unlikely. The ningen will die long before this Sesshoumaru does._

An uncomfortable feeling followed that thought. Rin was so young, so full of energy and life force… it was sometimes impossible to remember that she would age and die in normal human fashion. Her life would be no more than a blink of an eye in his long existence.

His Rin. What if something _were _to happen to him? What would befall his young charge? He had never contemplated his own demise before, other than he figured it would happen when another youkai challenged him and defeated him, thus claiming the title of tai-youkai for themselves. But what if tragedy occurred, ultimately ending his life prematurely?

He stood suddenly, turning and walking away a few yards. Kagome crouched in a ball on the ground, her fingers digging gouges into the grassy dirt as she tried to fight the waves of sadness and horror that threatened to overtake her.

There was a solution. A strange one, granted, but a viable solution nonetheless. It would leave Rin with a guardian should anything happen to him and it would provide the miko with protection from the hanyou in case he somehow failed to kill him.

Sesshoumaru turned and looked back at the grieving miko. Her friends had gathered around her and were giving her their support. They looked up at him as he turned.

"You will come with me."

Kagome blinked. "W-what?"

"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself."

Miroku took a step forward, as though to stop the tai-youkai. When that molten gaze landed on the monk, he thought better of it. He cleared his throat.

"Perhaps… you would be so kind as to enlighten us? Why take Kagome with you to… deal with Inuyasha?"

Silence. Miroku half expected a "this Sesshoumaru does not explain why" from the tai-youkai. Instead, he actually got an answer.

"She will reside at my castle in the Western Lands and take care of the human girl, Rin, that I have there. That way, Rin will have a guardian in the unlikely event that I should be slain before she reaches maturity. In return, the miko will have the protection that my estate provides should I fail and Inuyasha lives."

"Fail? You mean, if Inuyasha kills you first?"

The Inu no Taishou did not answer. He reached down, grasped one of Kagome's hands and pulled her to her feet. She pulled back, trying to get him to release her.

"No… wait! What about Shippou? I can't leave him! Or my friends!" she protested.

Sesshoumaru paused. "The kit that is always following you around. Why would you wish to have him near you? Surely he is nothing but a nuisance."

She glared at him. "No more than Rin is to you."

She got him there. He almost sighed.

Without another word, Sesshoumaru scooped Kagome up and took to the sky again. "If I bring the kitsune, you will look after Rin?"

"Hai." She looked at him, her eyes full of conviction.

"Where is the kit?"

"Kaede's village- just over there."

She pointed to the nearby human village. Sesshoumaru descended upon the small community, releasing Kagome once they had landed.

"Shippou! Shippou, where are you?" she called, heading for one particular hut.

"Kagome!" came a delighted squeal. Sesshoumaru almost winced at the high pitch of the sound. Superior hearing was sometimes a curse. A small ball of tan fur flew out of the pathetic building and landed in the miko's arms, hugging her tightly.

"You came back! Then… Naraku is gone? Where is everyone? Where's Inuyasha?" His green gaze turned and landed on Sesshoumaru. "Why is _he_ here?"

Kagome gave the kitsune a squeeze. Her gaze saddened as she looked at the kit. "Inu… Inuyasha… he…" She choked and broke off, unable to tell him everything that had happened.

Sesshoumaru stepped forward. "She will explain everything later, kitsune. Right now you are to come with me."

"What?" Shippou looked confused and incredulous all at the same time.

"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself."

Kagome looked at him. "I think _this Sesshoumaru_ just did," she said wryly. He blinked.

She turned her head and looked down at the little kit in her arms. "I just worry about the others."

He stared at her impassively. "I believe that my half-brother is only after you, right now. Isn't that correct?" At her nod, he turned away. "Then your friends should be safe. They are fighters- you are weak."

"Hey!" Kagome bristled, glaring at him.

"Um… Kagome? What's going on?" Shippou looked up at her, worried.

She relaxed and looked at the kit she loved like a son. "Don't worry, Shippou. Sesshoumaru has offered us his protection. He's a friend now…"

…_I hope…_

_----------------------------_

Sango looked at Miroku. "Do you really think it's a good idea to let him take her like this?"

Miroku looked thoughtful. "I have to admit, at first I had my doubts, but it would seem that Sesshoumaru has changed somewhat. While he is still cold and calculated, he is not without feeling."

He looked at Sango's brother, who was playing with Kirara nearby, all his worries finally gone. "He revived Kohaku, when he had no real reason to. He protected Kagome when Inuyasha first transformed. Now he is offering her his protection, should Inuyasha survive their next encounter."

Sango nodded. "It would also seem that he is offering to protect Shippou as well. Perhaps he only is agreeing to taking in Shippou to get Kagome to take care of Rin, but still… it's not the Sesshoumaru we're used to."

Miroku rubbed his smooth chin. "I noticed a strange look in his eyes when Kagome broke down, after she had… 'attacked' him. Something about her tears for Inuyasha had affected him- perhaps reminded him that he, himself, is not truly immortal as he thinks."

Sango nodded again. "It would seem, Houshi-sama, that the great tai-youkai possesses a conscience after all."

"Perhaps. The real question is if he possesses a heart as well."

-----------------------

Shippou clung to Kagome as if his very life depended on it. He looked down from the great height that he and Kagome were flying at, his green eyes wide.

"H-he w-won't d-d-drop us, will h-he?" he stammered, little youkai fangs chattering in fear.

Kagome smiled at him. "Don't worry, Shippou. If it was his intent to kill us, he would've done so long ago."

Sesshoumaru made no notice of whether he had heard their comments or not. He tightened his hold on the miko slightly, mentally smiling when she looked up at him in surprise and gratefulness.

_One could drown in those eyes…_

He blinked. Where in all the hells did _that_ thought come from? _This Sesshoumaru does not lust after ningen females, let alone a miko who has barely reached mating age._

_Ah, _a sly voice countered, _but there is something about this girl that attracted your brother. Perhaps we should find out what it is?_

_Why bother? She's just a weak human. Nothing special._

_I say that she is._

_What do _you_ know about humans? You've despised them as much as I have._

The voice sighed. _It's the little girl's doing. She has made me realize that all humans are not necessarily bad._

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes fractionally. _What is your reasoning behind this?_

His youkai snickered. _Let's just say I have noticed something of interest in the miko's soul. Surely you have as well?_

He sighed. Indeed. The girl's aura was like a candle-flame on the darkest of nights. Shimmering in soft pastels- pale green, lavender, light blue- especially the pale green- her aura drew him, taunted him, beckoned him. _Blasted miko. Why in Kami's name won't she leave my thoughts?_

His youkai only laughed.

--------------------------

Shippou looked around from the safety of Kagome's arms. "_This_ is where Inuyasha's brother _lives_?"

Kagome could only nod her head slightly. Who would've known that the Inu no Taishou had such a palace as his own? She always thought he had no home- that he simply wandered from place to place like a nomad. If he had a home, she never would've pictured something so… bare… as this.

Certainly, the palace was large in size, but it was almost completely empty. No decorations adorned the walls, no tapestries or anything. They followed the inu-youkai deeper into his holdings, trying not to gawk at the obvious lack of care his home experienced.

Sesshoumaru led them down an unadorned hallway. Not another soul was in sight, which bothered Kagome somewhat. Were they to be left here all alone? Where was the little girl?

Sliding open a door, Sesshoumaru stepped into a new room. Immediately a young girl's happy squeal filled the deathly quiet atmosphere.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" a little girl, no more than 7 years of age, ran across the room and attached herself to the inu-youkai's leg. He looked down, his topaz eyes softening a bit as he held himself back from smiling.

"Rin. I have returned."

"Hai, my Lord! I was waiting for you!" Rin looked over at the girl and kitsune partially hidden behind Sesshoumaru and his mokomoko-sama. "Is that Kagome? Your brother's mate? Why is she here?"

_Curse that clever little girl!_ "She is Kagome but she is _not_ my brother's mate. She has come to be your guardian should something happen to me."

Rin's brown eyes widened with that comment. She let go of his leg and stepped back, looking up at him with confusion in her eyes. "Happen to you? What could happen to _you_, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

He nearly smiled again at her. She truly believed him to be invincible. As close to a god as he was, he still fell short- not that he would ever disillusion her. "I am not invincible, Rin. I have made a bargain with Kagome and she will now be your guardian."

Rin looked at Kagome warily. Kagome looked down at the little girl and stepped out from behind Sesshoumaru, standing beside the inu-youkai. She knelt down, Shippou clinging possessively in her arms.

"Hello, Rin. I'm glad you remember me. Have you ever met Shippou?"

Rin eyed the kitsune in the older girl's arms. Shippou blinked. His fluffy tail twitched. Her face broke into a grin.

"You've got a mokomoko-sama like Lord Sesshoumaru!" she squealed, making both youkai in the room wince. Shippou jumped down from Kagome's arms and took up a brave stance in front of Rin.

"No, _I've_ got a _tail._ Sesshoumaru doesn't have a tail." He turned around and swished his tail around in front of her. "See? Mine's _attached_."

Rin giggled anyway. "You're so cute!" She reached down and huggled the kit, who blushed in embarrassment. Shippou looked up at Kagome for help.

Kagome shrugged, smiling. Rin also looked up at Kagome, then at Sesshoumaru.

"Does this mean that Shippou-chan is my brother now?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Sesshoumaru blinked. Kagome blinked. Shippou cringed.

"Yay! Rin gets a mama _and_ a brother!" the little girl squealed as she squeezed Shippou again.

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, when Sesshoumaru spoke first.

"You will bathe," he commanded. He then turned and left the room, leaving Kagome to stare after him in disbelief.

_Arrogant baka…_ Kagome mentally stuck her tongue out at the retreating tai-youkai.

Rin paused in her mangling of the poor kitsune. "Kagome-chan, can I call you Mama?"

Kagome almost fell over. "Uh… well, Rin-chan… if you want to… but what about your own mama?"

Rin looked sad. "My real mama died when I was born. Papa died just after I turned four." She smiled suddenly, her whole face brightening as she released Shippou, who jumped to the safety of Kagome's shoulder. "But now I have Lord Sesshoumaru as my papa, Shippou-chan will be my brother and you're going to be my mama!"

The little girl danced around the room, smiling and singing. "Rin's got a faaaaamily… Rin's got a faaaaamily…"

Kagome shook her head. She didn't want to disillusion the little girl, but she didn't plan on staying. But where else was she to go? Miroku and Sango wouldn't want her underfoot now that they could go ahead and marry. They would be looking forward to starting their new life together, not brooding about the past.

Kneeling down, she stopped Rin's dancing. "Um, where can I get cleaned up? I'm awfully dirty and Sesshoumaru said…"

Rin pointed to a nearby doorway. "That leads to an indoor hot spring. That's where I bathe."

Nodding her thanks, Kagome straightened and lifted Shippou from her shoulder, setting him on the nearby bed. "Try to get along with her, okay? I won't be long." The poor kit nodded, keeping a wary eye on the little girl.

Sighing, Kagome turned and went into the room Rin had pointed out to her. Indeed, a vast room held a steaming hot spring pool in its midst, surrounded by a fine tile floor. The room was extremely bare, with only a stack of cloths and a basket of bath items resting in the corner.

She shrugged as she peeled off her ripped and filthy clothes, dropping them in a pile on the floor. Walking over to the hot spring, she carefully lowered herself into the steaming water, giving a sigh of delight as the warm sensation flowed over her skin.

_At least he's got a hot spring_, she thought as she closed her eyes, relaxing.

------------------------

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he raced back to where he had knocked his half-brother unconscious. Without the miko nearby, he was unable to wield Tetsusaiga, but Tokijin should be more than enough to finish off the hanyou permanently. Still, he kept his brother's sword next to Tenseiga. He was unsure as to why, but he had more important matters at hand.

Landing next to where Inuyasha had lain unconscious, Sesshoumaru sniffed the air. His brother had obviously awoken and wandered off, presumably in search of the miko again. He turned his head in the direction the scent led off to. It was in the direction of a small human village.

Giving an uncharacteristic grunt, he turned and ran toward the village, intent on killing his brother before the wretch could destroy innocent ningen lives_. After all, they're just humans. Why should you care?_ came the voice of his brother, taunting.

Because of Rin. Because she was ningen and she had lived in a village like this one. And even, though he was loathe to admit it, because of the miko. Because he didn't want to see the sorrow in her eyes at the news of innocent lives lost at the claws of a youkai Inuyasha on the rampage.

_Kagome…_ why did the mere thought of her name make his gut clench? _No…this Sesshoumaru will not lust after his lowly half-brother's wench!_

_No matter how deep her eyes seem to be… no matter that her hair is as black as a moonless night… no matter that her young form is lush and fertile…_

_Stop that! _He hissed at his youkai. _She's a ningen and a miko- therefore, completely off-limits!_

_That isn't stopping you from being attracted to her, is it?_

_Silence!_

He finally reached the village, the scent of fear rolling thickly off the tiny group of huts.

The sounds of whimpering caught his sensitive hearing, drawing him over to a small family, consisting of an older couple and their two children, huddled together in front of a dilapidated house. Their eyes were wide with fright and the two little girls were shaking.

The focus of their terror stood a few feet away from them, growling and cracking his claws. "Where is she?" he snarled, deep in his throat. "Where is that damned bitch?"

"W-we don't know w-who you're t-talking about!" the father stammered out. He gasped and winced fearfully as Inuyasha stepped forward, intent on slicing the information out of the man.

"If you're looking for the miko, hanyou, she is beyond your reach," a velvety-smooth voice interrupted.

Inuyasha's crimson gaze snapped to Sesshoumaru, who stood motionless a few yards away. "Bastard… where have you taken her?" he snarled.

"Somewhere you will never find her," he replied dryly. "Since I will now take the pleasure of sending you to hell."

"I've lived in hell from the day I was born!" Inuyasha grunted. "So I think I'll send you there first! Give my regards to our esteemed father!" With those final words, he leapt for Sesshoumaru's throat, claws extended.

The inu-youkai blocked the attack with Tokijin. The blade didn't cut through Inuyasha's hands like he expected though. _Something is definitely wrong…_

Inuyasha gave a cruel laugh. "Your pathetic youkai sword is no match for me now."

"Silence," his older brother murmured. "It is time for you to die."

"Oh, I think you'll be the one dying today," he replied with a snarl. "And then I'll find that bitch Kagome and finish her off too!"

At the mention of Kagome, Sesshoumaru's golden eyes widened a fraction as a twinge of unexplainable fury pricked his usually non-existent emotions. He swung Tokijin down upon his rabid brother, only have the hanyou grasp the blade of the sword, halting the attack.

The tai-youkai narrowed his eyes as he forced Tokijin to try and slice through his brother.

_Crack!_ His golden eyes flew wide as his youkai sword was shattered in Inuyasha's hands. The violent hanyou chuckled. "Now, with that out of the way, enjoy your trip to hell!"

Sesshoumaru dropped the useless hilt of Tokijin, backing up a step from Inuyasha's deadly claws. _If he has the strength to shatter my youkai sword…!_ He didn't want to finish that thought. He brought his hand down to rest on Tenseiga, although he knew the sword wouldn't be able to help him now.

"Why don't you just tell me where that bitch is?" Inuyasha growled as he circled the tai-youkai. "She's just a human wench. Why should you care what happens to her? She don't need to be protected anymore!"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his brother again. "She is under my protection now, Inuyasha, and I will protect her for as long as I choose."

Tetsusaiga pulsed once from its position next to its brother. Sesshoumaru's gaze would've flickered to the sword, but that would mean an opening for Inuyasha to strike. It pulsed again, calling to the inu-youkai lord.

Moving his hand from the hilt of Tenseiga to that of Tetsusaiga, he slowly unsheathed the sword, unsure of what it wanted. The rusty blade transformed into the mighty fang as it had when the miko was nearby, although he knew her to be nowhere near. _Strange… why would it transform for me if she isn't near it?_

Inuyasha growled. "Damn you, Sesshoumaru! You're lying! You have to be! There's no way you'd protect a human!"

_Ah, yes. Tetsusaiga only transformed for Inuyasha when he had declared that he'd protect Kagome. And now that I have vowed to do the same…_

A grim smile touched his lips as he raised the fang sword high in the air. "It is finished. Sayonara, Inuyasha."

He dropped the sword, unleashing the _Kaze no Kizu_ upon his half-brother at point-blank range.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- WARNING! CHARACTER DEATH!**

Kagome relaxed in the steaming hot water, her thoughts drifting to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. Would the powerful inu-youkai be able to beat his half-brother and escape unscathed? Or would he end up dead, with no one to take over the role of Lord of the Western Lands?

Perhaps Inuyasha would change back and Sesshoumaru wouldn't need to kill him. Should she hold on to that feeble hope?

She sighed. Her chest hurt. The pain that gripped her heart hadn't let go since Inuyasha turned on her, furious that she had used the Shikon no Tama to save his life. _For Kami's sake- he wanted to _kill _me!_

Sniffing miserably, she rubbed some scented soap on a cloth and scrubbed the dirt off her skin.

_I thought he loved me… he said he did, didn't he? Or did he only say that because he thought he was dying?_

Realization sunk in as she washed. It hurt- more than any wound she had received at the hands of countless youkai they had slain. It was enough to make her want to curl up and die.

_He really didn't love me… I was just a jewel shard finder. He only loved Kikyou, and if he couldn't have her, then he wouldn't have anybody._

A sudden sense of intense loss overcame Kagome and she sat straight up in the hot water. Looking over her shoulder, her gaze met the plain walls of the hot spring's room, but she seemed to see beyond it.

It was if something had been removed from her. She knew. In that instant she knew it was over.

Sesshoumaru had succeeded in his mission. Sengoku Jidai was safe from the vicious hanyou on the warpath.

Tears filled her eyes and poured down her cheeks to delicately drip in the hot water. Throwing her arms over the edge of the spring, she lay her head down on her forearms and sobbed, her heart breaking.

Inuyasha was gone.

-------------------------

The great tai-youkai flew home, weary beyond his own belief. Not that he would show it, of course, but still, he was tired. It had taken everything in him to bring that _Kaze no Kizu_ down on his half-brother and the memory would haunt him for a long, long time.

_The _Kaze no Kizu_ hit Inuyasha at point-blank range. The crazed hanyou's crimson eyes widened as the attack blew him backwards over a hundred yards from where Sesshoumaru stood._

_He lay unmoving as the tai-youkai walked over to his brother's mangled remains. The blast had ripped his clothing and body apart and sliced into his skin. Blood began to pool underneath his prone form, staining the grass._

_As death approached the hanyou once more, Inuyasha's crimson gaze shifted back to gold and his youkai traits disappeared._

_His vision was fading- that much was obvious. His eyes couldn't seem to focus. _

_Sesshoumaru stared down at his dying brother with his usual expressionless mask. Inuyasha lifted a bloody arm as if in supplication to the tai-youkai._

"_Gomen… brother. I… just couldn't… live… like that… anymore…" he whispered roughly, coughing up blood._

_Sesshoumaru gave no sign that he had heard the dying hanyou's apology. "So you would rather kill innocent lives and become a monster instead of living a full life with your miko and friends?"_

_He gave a rasping laugh/cough in reply, dropping his arm. "You don't… know what… it was like… to be… despised…like I was…_

"_Indeed not."_

_Inuyasha's golden gaze was rapidly going vacant. "I didn't… want Kagome… to go through… what my mother… went through. I wanted… I _want… her_ to find… someone… better."_

_Sesshoumaru raised a perfect eyebrow. "You realize she cannot return to her home."_

_The hanyou struggled to focus back on his brother. "Nani? No! That's… impossible! She… was supposed… to go back!"_

"_The well is closed, it seems. She cannot go back."_

_He coughed up more blood, cursing. "Damn it! Stupid wench!"_

_Sesshoumaru gave him a cold look. "It is your fault, half-breed. If she hadn't used the jewel to save your pathetic life, she would have been able to return. Instead, she wanted to remain with you, in this time, and be with you for the rest of her pitiful existence."_

_Tears filled his eyes as his chest began to shudder with every labored breath he took. "I was… such… a damned… fool…"_

"_True."_

_Inuyasha's breathing gradually slowed, signaling the end. "Promise… me… Sesshoumaru… that you… will help her… be happy… here. Help her… have a… normal… life… with a mate… and pups…"_

_Sesshoumaru scowled. "Why should I care what she does? This Sesshoumaru does not concern himself with the happiness of ningens." _Liar… what about Rin? h_is youkai pointed out._

_Inuyasha glared. "Damn you… Should've… known… you'd… be a… bastard… until… the very… end…"_

"_My parents were mated in a formal youkai ceremony. My parentage is legitimate, I assure you, unlike yours."_

_Inuyasha spat blood at his brother. "Dad… mated… Mother… too… you… baka…"_

_Golden eyes narrowed. "Technicalities."_

_The hanyou's body began to shake as he went into a seizure. His face softened into a rare smile as the light went out of his eyes. "Goodbye… brother… I… regret… our… hatred…"_

_The neutral expression on Sesshoumaru's face never faltered as Inuyasha's bloodied body finally relaxed, his golden eyes dim and vacant. The tai-youkai went to turn away when Inuyasha's body began to disintegrate, becoming tiny red lights that converged into one semi-large red glowing sphere._

_When all the tiny lights had joined the larger one, it swirled around Sesshoumaru before sailing away, to either heaven, hell, or purgatory, the tai-youkai couldn't say._

_Sesshoumaru glanced at the sky where Inuyasha's soul had disappeared. A single, tiny tear escaped and slid down his unreadable face, the only expression of the sorrow he felt inside._

_Farewell… brother…_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The Inu no Taishou walked the quiet halls of his home, aware of the heavy silence. He kept his attention tuned carefully, listening with his exceptional hearing for the sounds of the miko. She needed to know that her love was dead.

As he neared the hot spring room, which was situated quite ingeniously between Rin's room and the chamber Kagome would be occupying, his sensitive ears picked up the distinct sounds of heart-wrenching sobbing.

He didn't even blink as he strode purposefully into the room. Had the miko or that kit made his Rin cry? He knew she often would hide in the comforting warmth of the steamy room when she was sad.

The vision before him made his golden eyes widen in absolute shock- a rare occurrence indeed. The girl who had filled his thoughts during the return to his home was sitting in the hot water, her upper body half out of the spring and her head resting on her forearms as she wept.

She was so caught up in her misery she didn't even notice the youki of the tai-youkai watching her in mute fascination.

The side view she unwittingly offered him gave him a tantalizing view of her body. Her young firm breasts were pressed up against the edge of the pool and her waist tapered sylph-like to where it met the water at her generous hips. Something inside him, something he didn't even know he possessed, clenched, making a long-dormant part of him stir.

The Inu no Taishou, Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands, had to actually lick his lower lip to stop the moisture threatening to escape his mouth.

She looked like a celestial maiden, a tribute to the vibrant, lushness of female virility.

Except for the fact that she was crying her heart out over someone else.

As he stood there, transfixed, all the strength seemed to go out of her. She slumped and slid into the water, closing her eyes that still held tears. As the waters closed over her head, Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side slightly, somewhat confused. What was she doing?

A few moments went by and it soon became obvious that the miko wasn't going to return to the surface by her own volition. He narrowed his eyes at the water.

_Blasted wench… so caught up in her own grief that she's willing to kill herself to be with Inuyasha._

Without really thinking, he swiftly disrobed, not wanting to get his silk garments wet in the hot water.

He slid into the water, heading to the deepest part of the pool- the part where she had been hanging on the edge. The water here was well over his head, even though he was over six feet tall. He made sure Rin was never in here unsupervised, cautioning her to stay at the shallower end for her own safety.

Even with his sharp eyes he had difficulty seeing where she was in the steaming water. The vapor made his vision blurred- a circumstance he was quite uncomfortable with.

Finally he saw a pale form curled up at the bottom of the spring. He dove under the water, aware of all the time that had already passed.

_Why am I doing this? Inuyasha is gone, so there is no reason for me to save her. She's just an insignificant human, anyway._

_Liar. She's a powerful miko, but that isn't why you're doing this. Rin needs her, regardless, and I believe you need her as well._

_This Sesshoumaru needs no one._

Yet even as he thought that, he knew it wasn't true. He needed Rin, if only as a distraction from the every day monotony that his existence had become. He needed Jaken, as a servant, yes, but also as a companion. Dare he even consider him a friend?

And he needed the miko. Something inside him, stronger than his youkai, told him he needed her. As she needed him, needed his protection.

Grasping the unconscious girl around her tapered waist with his lone hand, he pulled her into his arm and headed back to the surface. The hot water of the spring was pleasant enough when bathing, but swimming under water in it was somewhat painful to his sensitive senses.

He broke through the surface of the water, still clutching Kagome's unconscious body to his own. Her full breasts were pressed against his firm chest; her flat stomach rubbed along his, her round hips brushed against his most sensitive flesh.

Forcing himself to focus on her well-being, Sesshoumaru slightly shook the girl, trying to get her to wake up. "Wake up, miko," he commanded, using his tai-youkai tone.

Nothing happened. She wasn't breathing and she was deathly pale. Her head fell backwards, her long black hair trailing in the water, dripping delicately in the ominous silence.

A foreign emotion began to prick at his chest. Concern, rapidly growing, made him realize that the situation needed to be remedied swiftly or else the miko was going to die a useless death.

Turning to the nearby edge of the spring, he lifted her limp body with his arm and lay her on the tiles. Still she didn't move.

Mentally cursing, he extracted himself from the water and crouched on his knees next to her.

Out of the water, her body resembled that of a goddess. Not these measly youkai that rampaged across his territory- a real and true goddess of legend. Such as his father had been nearly a god.

Her lush, round breasts were tipped with rose. Water slid down her smooth skin, pooling in her navel. Her incredibly long legs, which he saw often enough with that ridiculously short skirt of hers, seemed even longer. His gaze drifted down her body, lingering for a moment on the black nest at the juncture of her thighs.

Sesshoumaru mentally shook his head. The miko was dying- he needed to do something. Tenseiga lay nearby, but she wasn't dead. Part of him wondered if he should just allow her to die so he could simply resurrect her.

His youkai protested. It urged him to try something else before resorting to such a thought.

His golden eyes actually softened as they gazed at her lovely face. Strands of wet black hair lay across her cheek, making her look like she had black crests on her cheeks.

Very delicately, he reached towards her and gently touched her cheek with his hand, brushing the damp hair off her pale skin.

"Kagome," he murmured, so softly he was sure she wouldn't be able to hear even if she had been conscious. "You need to wake up. You cannot die. Not now. Not in this pathetic manner. Rin needs you. That kit needs you. This Sesshoumaru…" _Needs you…_he thought with a start.

A shuddering breath made him lean over her. A rasping cough and flickering eyelids signaled that she was fighting, regardless of her inner turmoil.

She was alive.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- Lemon warning! There is no clean version! You have been warned! (I don't know if this is considered consensual sex, but I think it is. If anyone has a problem, email me privately about it- don't complain about it in a review. That just irks me. Thanks!)**

Kagome's chest hurt. That much she could ascertain. She coughed, spitting out a trickle of water onto whatever she was lying on. Her eyes opened slightly, flickering.

_Am I dead?_ was her first thought. There was steam or mist floating around her, making it difficult to see. Not that her eyes were working any way.

She could sense a vaguely familiar youki nearby- very close by. Her eyes opened briefly again and she saw that memorable mane of silver hair and intense amber eyes. _Inuyasha…_

He was leaning over her, obviously concerned about something. Tears filled her eyes again, blurring her already out-of-focus vision. _He's come back for me… he really does love me… I knew he wouldn't let me die…_

Kagome lifted her arms and slid them around his smooth shoulders. There was lean strength there, the ability to carry her for miles as if she weighed nothing at all. He was beyond powerful, despite his slender, lithe form.

She buried her hands in that wonderful, damp, silver mane of hair and pulled him closer. He resisted slightly, but then seemed to relax, allowing himself to lean down into her embrace. His hair fell forward and dripped on the tiles around her

Slightly lifting her swimming head, she pressed her lips to his, explaining in that single expression of affection how much she loved him.

-------------

Sesshoumaru kept a tight rein on his youkai, who was all for taking the young miko and teaching her how to submit to the Inu no Taishou. The softness of her lips against his, a sensation he had never before felt, was an aphrodisiac stronger than any drug. His body tightened in an alien awareness.

She took the kiss deeper, allowing him to dip his tongue inside her mouth. The heady taste of her, of warmth and feminine allure, stretched his endurance to the limit. He had to break this off before it went any further.

Before he could stop her, she slid her small hands down his chest, obviously enthralled with the contours of his lean chest and down further to his slightly concave stomach muscles.

He sucked in a startled breath as her hands went lower to caress his hips and around to the front, where they gently encircled his ever-growing erection. The feeling of her hands on his most sensitive parts made him actually tremble.

Kagome cupped him where he was so soft, while her other hand gently squeezed him where he was like iron- iron wrapped in velvet. He seemed to grow harder with her administrations, which served to arouse her even more.

"Onegai," she whispered into his mouth, barely releasing his lips before pressing hers against his again in a deep kiss. She slid her legs across the smooth tiles, opening them slightly. She was afraid she'd never have the chance again to show him how much she loved him, how much she accepted him as he was. _Inuyasha…_

Sesshoumaru's sensitive nose caught the scent of her obvious arousal. His eyes widened although hers didn't open at all. _She wants me… she desires me…_

His youkai gave a grunt. _And _you_ desire _her_… so take her! Claim her!_

He growled, low and soft as he moved between her long, creamy legs. He supported himself with his only arm as he nudged her warm, wet center with his engorged member.

Kagome moaned, a primitive sound that nearly caused him to burst right there. She used her hands to move him to her opening, slick and ready for him. Her scent filled his senses, filling his soul.

He entered her, slowly, trying to get used to the strange sensation of being inside someone else. She lifted her hips as she grabbed his and pulled him deeper, faster, so that he sunk into her to the hilt.

The give of her barrier was just a slight tug, then nothing. She cried out, not in pain but in need, digging her nails into his sides.

The sting of her nails on his skin served to enflame him further. He drove into her, sliding in and out at an ever-quickening pace. His silver hair hung around them like a pale curtain, hiding the two of them away from the rest of the world.

Kagome opened her eyes slightly, the steam in the room still making things foggy. Her eyes were still out of focus from the lack of oxygen to her brain from the pool, but she could see those beloved amber eyes, now the color of molten gold, burning through the mist. Silver hair cascaded around them, tickling her breasts and shoulders.

Closing her eyes again, the pressure building inside her was growing almost unbearable. Something had to give, something had to release.

Sesshoumaru thrust inside her again, growling as Kagome convulsed around him, her inexplicably tight sheath contracting around him. She cried out, a wordless scream, as she climaxed. Her shuddering caused him to hit the peak as well, shooting his warm release deep inside her. His youkai howled in triumph.

Her body slowly came down, jerking with aftershocks of pleasure, milking him for every last drop he was worth.

He managed to keep himself held off of her with his only arm, although he wanted nothing more than to collapse in exhaustion on top of her.

Kagome fixed that problem. She pulled him down to her with gentle pressure on his back and hugged him close to her heart. She sighed as she ran her fingers through his still-damp hair.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered, snapping him out of his blissful trance. He froze, fury filling his chest. After he had taken her as his mate, albeit not formally, she _dared_ to mention his wretched half-brother's name?

Sesshoumaru growled as he pulled out of her embrace, but his ire went unnoticed as Kagome had quickly fallen asleep, exhausted.

Still radiating absolute fury, he quickly washed himself off in the hot spring. He dried himself off with a drying cloth and then swiftly dressed.

He gazed down at the nude, sleeping miko with mixed emotions- emotions he had never felt before. He tossed his drying cloth on top of her, partially covering her nudity, as he turned around and left the room.

_Inuyasha… so this is how you get your revenge…_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Sesshoumaru growled as he did something he _never_ did- he paced back and forth in his chambers. He couldn't get over how _magnificent_, how absolutely _mind-boggling_ the experience had been.

And then she had to go and ruin it by whispering his blasted brother's name in his ear.

Her scent lingered in the air- a permanent part of him now, he supposed. He scowled. He was angry at his loss of self-control and he was angry at her willingness to copulate with him.

No, not with him. With_ Inuyasha._ She thought she was mating with his brother, not with him.

His chamber door opened with a soft knock, revealing a happily smiling Rin. "Welcome home, Lord Sesshoumaru!" she squealed, running across the room to hug his leg. "Rin has missed you!"

His anger dissipated somewhat as the little girl clung to him in a delighted squeeze. "Hai, Rin. This Sesshoumaru… has missed you too."

The little black-haired girl stared up at him, shocked. He had _never_ told her he missed her in all the time she had been with him. Releasing her grip on his leg, she looked up at him skeptically. "Lord Sesshoumaru… is that really you?"

He raised a perfect eyebrow at her. "You doubt me?"

She grinned, squeezing his leg again. "You've never told Rin that you've missed her before."

It was true. He had always remained aloof- calm, cool, and collected, never showing any trace of emotion other than slight annoyance at Jaken. Mating with the miko must have had some unexpected side effects on his tight emotional control.

At the reminder of his lapse in judgment and self-control, he scowled. Rin looked up at him, concerned. "My lord? Is something wrong?"

Forcing himself to place the cool mask of indifference back on his face, he glanced down at the girl. "Where is the miko?" he asked, as if it really didn't matter to him.

Rin brightened. "She is getting dressed, my lord. In her new chambers. Jaken-sama came and took her old clothes, so now she's dressing in the ones in her room."

His mother's old robes. He had forgotten about those. He had wondered where they had gone- apparently, he had stuffed them in the spare room and never gave them another thought.

Just then, the object of all the turmoil in his soul walked into the doorway of his rooms. Kagome was dressed in a splendid light green silk kimono, complete with a gold obi. Gold and dark green embroidery embellished the hem and neckline and her feet were bare. Her now-dry hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with a light green ribbon.

Yet all he could see was how she looked, naked and writhing in complete abandon underneath him as he mounted her.

She smiled brightly, unaware of the tension broiling inside the tai-youkai. Her eyes held a twinkle that he had never seen before and she practically glowed. Apparently, she still hadn't realized what had occurred between the two of them or she'd be cowering in fear from the anger rolling off him in waves. "Welcome back, Sesshoumaru. I gather you are uninjured?"

Her upbeat attitude baffled him. Where was the mourning female from yesterday? The one who had clung to him in such passion? "I do not injure easily, miko," he replied in a voice that rivaled frost.

Her smile faltered at his icy tone. "G-gomen," she apologized, bowing. "I… was just… concerned…"

"Why?"

His question caught her off guard. "I… I was concerned… because you are a friend… and you protected me, even when you had no real reason to do so."

Glowering he stepped closer to her, unmindful of Rin watching silently. "A… _friend_," he repeated, murmuring the word like a curse. "Is _that_ what I am to you…?"

She blinked, disconcerted. "O-of course," she replied shakily. "A-aren't we… friends?"

He smirked, a cold, calculating semi-smile that made her shiver. "Indeed. _Friends_."

Turning away from the infuriating woman, he stared out his window, looking at nothing yet unable to look at her any longer. "You have realized, of course, that my brother is dead."

He could sense the sadness that tinged her scent. Her scent, wildflowers and sunshine that now blatantly mixed with his own, creating a new scent all together. He didn't look at her but he could feel her nod her head. "Hai. I know."

Rin ran over to Kagome and gave her a comforting hug. "Oh… gomen nasai, Mama Kagome… you must be so sad."

Sesshoumaru inwardly started at Rin's use of the term "mama" for Kagome, but outwardly didn't move at all.

Kagome looked down at the little girl with a mixture of sadness and acceptance. "Hai, Rin, I am very sad, but at least I have many good memories of him. And, I felt his spirit visit me before it left this world. I'm sure he is at peace."

Sesshoumaru whirled around in an uncharacteristic fury. His golden eyes blazed as Kagome and Rin both looked up at him, startled. "_His spirit_ visited you? When?"

The miko blinked up at him. "Um… during… my bath. In the hot spring in the room off of Rin's and mine." Her face flushed slightly and he could scent a mixture of embarrassment and lingering arousal as she remembered her dream- or was it a dream?

"Rin. Go find Jaken and tell him to take you to look for flowers," he said in a very quiet, very low voice.

The little girl brightened before dashing out of the room, giggling. Kagome stared at the tai-youkai, painfully aware that they were completely alone.

_Alone with a wounded, rabid dog_ came the wry thought. _Wounded? How is he wounded? It doesn't look like Inuyasha laid a finger on him._

Still, Sesshoumaru radiated extremely controlled fury and… deep emotional hurt? She would've bet her last yen that he didn't _have_ any emotions, yet in the span of as many minutes she had seen more expression out of him than she had during the years she had traveled with her friends.

He narrowed his amber eyes at her, making her take a deep breath. "So… Inuyasha's spirit visited you after he died yesterday," he said flatly.

She blushed again. "Well… hai. In a dream."

Again that cold stare. "A _dream_."

She really didn't know. She thought their interlude in the hot spring was a dream between her and Inuyasha's spirit.

Kagome gave him a shaky, hesitant smile as she backed up slightly. "Is… is there anything else I can do for you now that you're back?"

_You can strip yourself naked and get your ass in my bed._

"No. Leave me."

She bowed very low, with as much respect as she could show him. As her head fell forward, her ponytail slid to the side, giving him a glimpse of… something on the back of her neck, just below the nape.

He growled, startling the bent-over miko into straightening. Fear filled her eyes as he stepped closer.

Without a word, he turned her around, lowered the neck of her kimono and stared. _No… that's impossible…_

A light green crescent, identical to the lavender one on his forehead, had appeared on her skin just below her neck. It was still rather faint, but he knew it would grow darker.

"Damn it…"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Damn it, damn it, **damn it**!_

Sesshoumaru growled as he released the miko as if she had burned him. Kagome turned around, staring at him in confusion and fear. "Wh-what's wrong?"

He turned away from her, his thoughts reeling. "Nothing. I had thought I saw a… spider… on your back, but it seems to have… escaped me."

She gave him a lopsided grin. "The great Sesshoumaru has misplaced a spider? Will wonders never cease…"

He waved her out of the room, not bothering to look at her. "You are dismissed. Find Rin and prepare her for dinner."

The icy, tai-youkai tone had returned to his voice. She bobbed a short bow and fled, not bothering to see if he'd change his mind.

He sat down on his voluminous bed, staring at the window for a long, long time. _This… is not good._

----------------------

_A few weeks later…_

Meals were served in a rather spacious dining room, but it was the same as the rest of the house- lacking in any decorations or ornaments.

Kagome glanced at Rin, who was doing her very best to eat neatly for her new "mother."

Shippou, who had been hiding from the young girl in the nearby forest for most of the day, decided to show up for lunch and was now happily ingesting as much fish as he could.

The miko looked down at her food, wondering why she wasn't hungry. _I haven't eaten anything since yesterday… I should be starving._ She shrugged it off as the lingering effects of mourning the loss of her love and her friend.

It had been over a month since Inuyasha died. Over a month since his spirit had visited her in the dream that still haunted her every night, causing her to awaken in a state of severe need. Every night the depth of her arousal seemed to increase as release was impossible.

Forcing herself to pick up her chopsticks, she picked at her food, placing only a little bit actually in her mouth.

Finally, she put down the chopsticks and faced Shippou with a bright smile. "Shippou, did you play with Rin today like I asked you to?"

The young kit blushed and looked down at his food with renewed interest. "Um… sure, Kagome. We played… hide and seek all morning."

She smelled a lie, which was confirmed by Rin's pout. "Yeah, but you hid and Rin never found you! And you wouldn't come out either!"

Kagome scowled at the kit. "Shippou…" she said warningly.

"Gomen, Kagome," he muttered, looking suitably abashed. "I promise to play with her this afternoon, okay?"

"Promise?"

He nodded. She smiled at him again, glad to see he was willing to help her out. "Arigatou, Shippou. She needs a 'big brother' to teach her about stuff, and no one knows more about the wilderness than _you_."

Shippou puffed out his small chest in evident pride. "Of course," he bragged.

As he turned his attention back to his meal, Kagome's smile faded as she glanced at the head of the table, where the Inu no Taishou was supposed to sit. She had not seen him since that incident about a month ago in his chambers when Rin welcomed him home from his battle with his brother. Somehow he had managed to elude them, opting to survey his territory rather than spend any time with his adopted daughter.

She sighed as she looked at her food. She had no appetite and the little food she had eaten was making her queasy. She stood up slowly, asking Shippou to keep an eye on Rin, explaining that she felt ill. The young kit nodded, understanding.

Kagome left the dining room and headed for her chamber. She moved slowly, as quick movements caused illness.

As she rounded the corner, a wave of nausea swept over her, causing her to sink to the floor on her knees. She held her stomach tightly, as if it would help keep the meager contents where they belonged.

A shadow fell over her and she glanced up, mutely surprised to see the elusive Sesshoumaru staring down at her with an unreadable expression on his elegant face.

He knelt down next to her, staring into her eyes. "Are you ill?"

She nodded slightly, so as not to make the nausea worse. His gaze flickered to the hand covering her stomach and he slightly winced.

He scooped her up in his arm and began carrying her to her room. She would have blushed, but his movements made her have a hard time keeping her food down.

Luckily, her room wasn't too far away. He swept into the room and laid her gently on the bed, where she curled up, fighting the nasty feeling.

_He looks… rather worried…_she thought, glancing at him. Indeed, his golden gaze remained on her as if afraid she might expire at any moment.

She vaguely waved a hand at him. "I'll be all right… I've just got the stomach flu or food poisoning or something. I'll be fine in a few days."

Sesshoumaru looked like he wanted to snort. Instead, he knelt by her bedside, looking at her intently. "Do you… need anything?"

She didn't ponder his sudden niceness. "A bucket or something, I think," she mumbled, closing her eyes briefly.

The inu-youkai stood up, left the room and came back bearing a small bathing bucket- apparently his own personal one. He had emptied it out before bringing it to her, but the significance of the item wasn't lost on her.

She looked at him, slightly confused as he set down the bucket next to her bed and resumed his position of staring at her. "Why… are you being so… nice to me?"

The tai-youkai narrowed his eyes. "Must I have a reason for everything? You are ill- you need someone to take care of you."

She closed her eyes in gratitude. "I… appreciate that. You know… Inuyasha would've complained at me, calling me a weak human. But you… you're… so nice." She opened her eyes slightly and smiled at him. "Arigatou, Sesshoumaru…"

He mentally winced at her words. Looking away, he couldn't help the wave of guilt that washed over his chest.

_You wouldn't be thanking me if you knew that I was the cause behind your illness…_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Kagome's nausea didn't go away in a few days like she had thought. For months she was continually plagued with a loss of appetite and revulsion at generally everything edible. The only thing she could keep down was her imitation ramen, which she had created with her own bare hands in the kitchen.

She had long since run out of the instant stuff that was in her backpack, but she had used the last container as a reference as she concocted her own version of the instant food. Simple noodles, seasonings, diced veggies, and whatever meat happened to be available mixed together with a broth kept her going during the worst of the sickness.

Kagome figured that it was her body adjusting to a different era. Now that she was permanently here, there were probably bacteria and viruses that were nonexistent in her time that were invading her system and making her sick.

On one bright, sunny afternoon, about four months after Inuyasha's death, Kagome glanced at her reflection in her mirror. She had suggested- rather, pleaded- with the tai-youkai for a mirror for her room, as well as a few other necessities. In a shocking display of generosity, he had given her items that had belonged to his mother, long since locked away and unused.

Turning sideways, Kagome's brow furrowed. Was it her imagination, or was she gaining weight? _I always told Inuyasha that ramen wasn't healthy for you. Here's the proof._

Still, ramen was the only thing she could keep down. What else was she supposed to do? Either she'd die from malnutrition or she'd gain some extra weight from food that actually stayed in her stomach where it belonged. Given the choices, she could always start exercising more to try to take some of this excess weight off.

Gah… the thought of exercising almost made her vomit again. The most she could do lately was go on slow, leisurely walks with Sesshoumaru and sometimes the children.

A soft knocking on the door captured Kagome's attention away from her reflection. Smiling, she walked across the room to open her door, revealing the tai-youkai, dressed in only his normal robes- no armor, no mokomoko-sama.

She beamed up at him. Every afternoon Sesshoumaru had taken her on walks around the grounds, showing her around the place where he had grown up, where his father had ruled, where his mother had lived and died. They talked, questioned, and gradually got to know each other better. Kagome now knew more about the Inu no Taishou than Rin probably did.

She loved their time together. He no longer treated her as a measly, weak human- he treated her as a friend.

Although she didn't view him as merely a friend anymore. As they spent more and more time together, her feelings for the inu-youkai had grown. Her memories of Inuyasha gradually retreated, leaving her more at peace with herself. She knew he wouldn't want her to mourn him forever, and her memories of their time together would always be in her heart. Hopefully her cycles would return now that the majority of her grief had passed- they had ceased right after Inuyasha had died and she blamed her sorrow for the lapse. Still, the only thing on her mind lately seemed to be the ethereally beautiful tai-youkai.

Not that Sesshoumaru seemed interested in her in _that_ way. He always seemed to keep himself apart from her, as if afraid that he might scare her away. She couldn't explain his behavior any more than he could.

Today they walked through the extensive gardens to the south of the house. It was her favorite place to walk in, as the flowers had finally bloomed and color was abundant throughout the area.

Sesshoumaru truly enjoyed watching Kagome as they walked sedately through the gardens. Her face was filled with joy over nature's beauty, and that in turn made her seem to glow even more. Her aura had shifted slightly ever since their one-time mating, from shades of lavender, light blue and light green, to including his shade of red-orange. She was truly a shining star in his long and dark life.

He dared not get too close to her, or else his hand would inevitably want to stray to touch her: her hair, her cheek, her slightly rounded belly. She seemed to be unaware of the changes in her body, though for how much longer that would last, he didn't know.

The change in her scent had occurred some time ago, gradually getting stronger as time went by. Every morning he could smell the arousal on her- her dreams must be as bad as his were.

The kit, mercifully enough, didn't realize what the changes in Kagome's scent meant. He figured she was still ill and that accounted for the strange tang in her scent.

He knew better. He had known as soon as that light green crescent had appeared on her back.

Diverting his thoughts for the moment, he paused by a particularly large gardenia. Kagome saw him reach up to lightly touch the flower and was saddened by the fact that he still only had one arm.

"Sesshoumaru… would you like me to… try and restore your arm?" she asked hesitantly.

His golden eyes turned to her. "Restore my arm? How?"

She stepped closer, unaware of him tensing as she did so. "I… I thought I could try my miko powers and see if it would work to regenerate it. You did say it was slowly growing back."

His face was unreadable. "So I did. But why would you want to try?"

She blushed, reaching out to touch the remaining part of his arm as if her light touch alone could restore him. "I… I just wanted to… I mean… you didn't deserve to have it cut off like that…"

Kagome wouldn't mention _his_ name in front of him any more. It was like she knew how much just hearing his brother's name would hurt him.

Her feather-light touch was like a fire-brand. Desire and heat flooded through him, making his eyes turn to molten gold and his youki to stir. She gazed up at him, confused as to why her touch would do that to him. She was afraid she had overstepped their unspoken bounds.

"Sesshoumaru? Are you okay?" she asked, stepping even closer. She was nearly pressed against him now.

Mutely, he stared at her, trying hard to control his youkai or else he'd take her then and there on the ground, surrounded by a cathedral of flowers. "I… am fine…" he managed to say stiffly.

Suddenly her gaze went wide and dropped to her stomach. Sesshoumaru followed her line of vision, staring at the slight mound under her dark blue silk kimono. She dropped her hand from his shoulder and placed it on her stomach instead. She gasped once, then again, placing the other hand on her belly as if to be sure.

He knew what had happened. He just wondered if she did.

Kagome lifted her eyes back up to his, absolute confusion written all over her face. "What's wrong with me?" she cried. "It feels like there's something inside me!"

Taking one of her hands in his only one, he lifted it up and kissed her knuckles, making her even more confused. His amber eyes sparkled with a light she had never seen before.

"There _is_ something inside you, Kagome. A child."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Kagome stared up at him in complete and utter shock. At first she didn't believe him. "Impossible… how could I be pregnant? I never…" she trailed off as she remembered the erotic dream that replayed every night in her sleep. The dream where Inuyasha had come back to her and claimed her body as his own.

"Your scent confirms it to me, Kagome. I have known for quite some time now. You are indeed carrying a child."

Her face turned thoughtful. She stared at nothing as the inconceivable scenario played through in her mind. Part of her listened to Sesshoumaru's words and digested them along with a list of pregnancy symptoms she blamed on other causes.

_Could Inuyasha's spirit… somehow impregnated me during that dream? So I could have one last part of him with me forever?_

Her features went from shock and disbelief to absolute joy. Sesshoumaru's heart, long ignored as useless, leapt in something akin to hope. He took a step closer to her, looking like he wanted to embrace her.

Her eyes lit up in total delight. "I'm… I'm going to have a baby…" she whispered, tears filling her eyes. She threw herself into Sesshoumaru's single-arm embrace. The tai-youkai held her close, reveling in her touch, her scent, her very essence. A softness entered his eyes that had never been there before as he gave her an uncharacteristic squeeze.

"That was Inuyasha's last gift to me…the purpose of that dream! To give me his child!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open, his pupils constricting to thin black lines. He bared his fangs and growled, causing Kagome to pull back in alarm, her arms still wrapped around his slender waist.

"Sesshoumaru? What's wrong? Are you… are you upset that a part of your brother will live on? Is that what's bothering you?"

The inu-youkai pushed her away from him, causing her to stumble slightly and grasp onto the nearest bush for support. Unfortunately it happened to be a rosebush, and long sharp thorns pierced her palms, drawing forth small pools of blood.

Sesshoumaru didn't even blink. He snarled as he turned and swept away, heading away from the gardens and into a nearby clearing. He glanced back at her once, and she gasped to see his eyes were crimson. A great wind came and surrounded the tai-youkai, blowing his soft silver hair straight up to the sky.

With a bearing of his fangs, he transformed into the great white dog-youkai that had fought Inuyasha ages ago in their father's grave. His gaze never left her as he changed, and when it was complete, he lifted his muzzle and howled to the sky, a horribly mournful sound. It sounded like his heart… was breaking.

With one last… sad?... look at Kagome, he turned and vaulted into the sky, running as fast and as far away as he could on three legs, which was just as fast as if he had four.

Kagome stared after him, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. She had _never_ seen him so furious, not even during the battle in their father's tomb.

_You mentioned Inuyasha, stupid girl. You swore to yourself that you would never say his name in front of Sesshoumaru again, remember?_

Guilt washed over her as realization dawned. _I said that I was carrying Inuyasha's baby… what the hell is wrong with me?_

Holding her bleeding hands away from her so she wouldn't get blood on her silk kimono, she turned and started walking back to the house. She needed to get them cleaned up and bandaged before they got infected.

----------------------

Shippou met her on the way to her chambers. "Kagome, what happened to Lord Sesshoumaru? Why was he so sad?"

The miko blinked in confusion at the kit as she kept walking. "What do you mean, he was sad? How do you know that?"

He jumped up and perched on her shoulder as she entered her room and pulled out her dwindling supplies of first aid from her time. "From his howl. It was the same as when Mother died and Father would howl out in grief. Do you know what happened to him?"

_I hurt him, Shippou. I'm having Inuyasha's baby and he couldn't handle it._

"No, Shippou. We were just walking in the gardens… and then he left. I… I don't know anything more."

Shippou shook his little golden head. "I think he's really begun to care about you, Kagome. I've been keeping my eye on him, and he's always watching you, making sure you're okay. I hope you didn't do anything to hurt his feelings."

As the kit jumped from her shoulder and raced out of the room, Kagome sat on her heels and stared down at the first aid box before her. Shippou's words echoed in her mind, long after he'd gone and the blood was drying on her hands.

…_He's really begun to care about you…_

…_Always watching you, making sure you're okay…_

Slowly she put the pieces into place. _He said he's known about my pregnancy for a long time… and he _has_ been extremely kind and courteous to me these last few months…_

_Could… could Sesshoumaru… be falling in love with me?_

She nearly tossed the idea aside. But it would explain his sudden transformation and his mournful howl.

The baby inside her moved again, startling her. Glancing up she saw Sesshoumaru standing in her doorway, watching her with his normal expressionless mask. He appeared to be back to his normal self, although his normally unruffled hair seemed a bit wind-blown.

"You have injured yourself."

Her gaze dropped to her bloody hands. "Oh… hai, I… I guess I did. I… stumbled… and accidentally grabbed a rosebush trying to catch myself."

Silently he appeared at her side, crouching down. He grasped one of her bloody hands and examined the wounds. "Do not lie to me. I was the cause of this. I apologize."

Lifting her eyes, she stared at him, his faces mere inches from hers. _Did… did he just… **apologize**?_ She blinked several times as he expertly used his remaining arm to bandage her hand.

_And he's stopped using the phrase "this Sesshoumaru," too… at least, for the most part._

She almost giggled. _Except when he's feeling particularly arrogant…_

The baby moved again, causing her to gasp slightly. The sensation would take some getting used to.

Sesshoumaru's attention went from finishing up her other hand to the slight mound of her belly. "Is… is it… moving?" he asked, almost hesitantly.

She nodded. Tilting her head to the side, she looked into his golden eyes. "Did… did you want to feel?"

A strange emotion flickered in his gaze. Slowly, carefully, his lifted his hand and placed it ever-so-gently on her stomach.

Kagome grasped his hand and moved it slightly to the left. A moment later a strange sensation moved against his palm.

His eyes snapped to hers and held them. "Is that… the child?"

Her gaze was locked with his, never wavering as she nodded slightly. A strange heat rushed through her at his touch, filling her with the same sort of need she awoke with every morning.

Sesshoumaru didn't move for a long moment. His nostrils flared slightly as if scenting something. His eyes widened slightly as he continued to stare at her. The entire room paused as if waiting for something. Even the movement under his palm ceased.

Abruptly he lifted his hand off her stomach, reached around her throat and cupped the nape of her neck. In less than the blink of an eye he had pulled her to him and was pressing his lips to hers in a passion finally unleashed.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Kagome nearly died when Sesshoumaru pulled her to him and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

The intense sensation that rushed over her almost made her faint in delight. His lips were cool, firm, and he tasted like… well, like she suspected wilderness would taste. Untamed and free.

Shakily she parted her lips, offering him entrance. He gladly took, dipping his tongue inside, deepening the kiss.

Her head was swimming. _It's true… he ran away from you because you hurt him… you're carrying his brother's child… yet he wants you anyway!_

She whimpered as his hand slid down her back, cupping the small of her back and pulling her full against him.

A thump against his midsection gave him pause. Regretfully he pulled away and glanced down at the small mound pressed against him. "…I think he does not like me."

Somewhat breathless, she looked dazedly into his face. "_He_? What makes you think it's a boy?"

He snorted softly. "This Sesshoumaru would not…" he caught himself before he finished his statement. ..._father a female…_

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him. "This Sesshoumaru would not presume to make predictions about the sex of my baby?"

He glowered at her. "Watch your tongue, miko."

She laughed, leaning her forehead against his chest. "_There's_ the Sesshoumaru I know and…" she halted, unwilling to make the confession just yet.

This time he raised an eyebrow. "And what? Despise? Because I am not Inuyasha?"

Immediately she was contrite. "No! That's not it at all! Gomen, Sesshoumaru. I… I know how much the memory of your brother hurts you… and the thought of this child…"

He gave her a Look, silencing her. "It is not the memory of my brother that hurts me, Kagome. And it is _definitely_ not the child."

"Then what is it? Onegai… I want you to confide in me."

He would have sighed if his demeanor had permitted it. "My brother and I… reached a sort of understanding… before he died. I… no longer hate him and what he represented."

_Represented…_ "You mean your father taking a human mate? And being unfaithful to the memory of your mother?"

Pain flickered across his eyes, almost missed by her understanding gaze. "That is the long and the short of it, hai."

Confused, she tilted her head at him. "Then… then why does the thought of Inuyasha's baby bother you so much?"

His golden eyes hardened slightly. "It is not the thought of his pup that bothers me… it is the knowledge that…" He grew silent.

"That he… took me… before anyone else could?" she finished, thinking she had found the source of his ire.

Sparks flew from his amber eyes as he growled at her. "_He didn't take you, damn it_!"

She blinked at the forcefulness of his words. "Then… then how do you explain how his baby is inside me?"

Abruptly he stood up. "This Sesshoumaru has other tasks to attend to. Fetch Rin and prepare her for the evening meal." The tai-youkai tone was back.

Slowly she stood as well, bowing as he left the room. "Hai…" she murmured, then straightening she called out to him. "Wait! Sesshoumaru…"

It was too late. He had already disappeared. She frowned slightly as the baby let her know of its discontent about something.

She placed her hands on her belly, looking down at the small mound. "I really messed that up, didn't I?"

A shifting movement and a thump were her response. _It certainly is strong… just like its father..._

She grinned. _I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl? And what in the world am I going to _name_ it?_

-------------------------

_I can't do it. I can't tell her the truth…_

_What truth? The truth that you're starting to love her, or the truth that you're too scared to admit it?_

He glowered as he stared out his bedroom window. _The truth that _I_ am that child's father, not that baka brother of mine._

His youkai chuckled._ What if she finally notices the crescent on her back? Don't you think _that_ will raise some questions?_

This time he growled, baring his fangs. Damn it. That crescent mark was the proof of their mating, the sign that she was carrying his heir. Once he managed to convince her to let him take her as his formal mate, the Lady of the Western Lands, the color would shift to match the crescent on his forehead, showing she belonged to him.

He already knew what would happen when the baby was born. It would have a light green crescent on its forehead, matching the one on Kagome's back right now. Perhaps it might have the same color crests on its face as him, perhaps not.

Kagome's innocent voice echoed in his already spinning head. _Then how do you explain how his baby is inside me?_

_Damn it, it's not Inuyasha's baby! It's mine!_

Turning, he walked to his chamber door, opening it. He needed to get away. Far away. So that she didn't have any more questions he couldn't answer.

A tour of his lands was required. Yes. That was the solution. He needed to check on the Western Lands to make sure everything was in order.

Then he wouldn't falter and tell her everything that now filled his once-cold and useless heart.

He wouldn't confess that he loved her.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he strode down the hallway and out of the house before anyone saw him, including Jaken. Jaken would understand, would take care of things. Jaken would help keep an eye on his lord's miko.

He would return before the baby was born. He swore it on his father's name. There was no way, in heaven or hell, that he would miss his child's birth.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Every day, Kagome had followed the same routine. In the morning she would get up, bathe and dress, wake up Rin and Shippou, take them to eat breakfast, manage to keep the ramen she ate morning, noon, and night in her stomach where it belonged, take the children outside for their lessons, return for lunch, then play time for the kit and the little girl. Dinner would eventually roll around, and then afterwards Kagome would read to the kids until they fell asleep.

Not once, during the last five months, had she seen Sesshoumaru.

It was a lovely winter afternoon and the children were bundled up, playing with Shippou's spinning top trick. Rin was convinced to learn how to do it, and Shippou considered it a matter of pride to teach a human a kitsune illusion. Not that it was working, anyway.

Kagome sat on a cleared off bench situated under a nearby tree. The snow on the ground was only a couple inches deep, yet she still longed for her winter boots, back in her room in her own time.

Shippou had finally figured out what the strange scent coming from Kagome was when he noticed her stomach growing. He didn't seem to believe her theory that the baby was somehow Inuyasha's, but he didn't dispute her claim either. He promised Kagome that he would strive to be the best big brother Rin and the baby ever had.

She chuckled at the memory. A rather painful cramp made her wince slightly and the baby squirmed inside her, the warm environment having grown too tight for it to kick her properly.

Placing a hand on her extremely swollen belly, she sighed. Her back hurt, her legs hurt, and her heart hurt. _Sesshoumaru…_Often her thoughts lately turned to the Inu no Taishou, remembering the one kiss they shared so long ago.

_Where did he go? Why did he leave without saying a word?_ These questions had repeated themselves in her head endlessly for the last five months.

Jaken, the little toad, was no help at all. He simply sniffed disdainfully and gave her the "Lord-Sesshoumaru-does-not-need-to-explain-himself-to-the-likes-of-_you_" speech. Then he would turn around and go about whatever business he did while his lord was absent.

_He must stock the place with human food_, Kagome mused. _There's always fresh food in the kitchen for me to use, so maybe that's what Sesshoumaru has him doing…_

Rin had formed a snowball and now threw the lopsided creation at her kitsune brother. The cold object smacked him in the chest, making him give a pathetic little growl as he scooped up some snow for his own retaliation. "Brat! I'll get you for that!"

Rin simply stuck her tongue out at him and ran away laughing. Shippou gave chase, tossing snowballs after her retreating form. "Mama! Mama! Mama!" she squealed in delight as she flung herself behind Kagome for protection.

Kagome held up her hands. "_Oh_, no. Don't get me into the middle of this. You have to fight your own wars."

Shippou skidded to a halt in front of her, spraying snow all over her legs. "Aw, Mom!" he whined. "When are you gonna have that kit and be able to play with us again?"

A shadow fell over the trio, causing everyone to turn around in surprise. "I would wager she will be delivering the 'kit' very soon," Sesshoumaru drawled, his golden eyes locked on the vision of his miko round with his child.

Everyone blinked simultaneously. Rin launched herself at Sesshoumaru and squeezed his waist as tightly as she could. "Lord Sesshoumaru! You've come back to Rin!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hai, Rin, I've come back to you, but I've also come back to Kagome and the kit."

Shippou puffed up his chest. "I have a name, sir."

The tai-youkai gave him a Look and the corner of his mouth seemed to curve slightly upward. "Pardon me. _Shippou_."

_Again with the apologizing! What is going on with him?_ Kagome stared up at him, entranced by his indescribable beauty. Her memories of him hadn't faded in five months, as had her memories of Inuyasha. Certainly, she could remember the good and bad times with him, but his face… his face often seemed to blur…

That same cramp gripped her stomach and she winced again. She'd been having them off and on for the last few days- she figured it was her body complaining about the extra weight.

Sesshoumaru's all-too-aware gaze snapped back to her, catching her grimace. "You need to be in the house. Now."

Awkwardly she stood up, looking him right in the eye. "Why? I'm perfectly fine out here. And who are _you_ to order me around like that? You disappear for five months and don't tell anyone where you're going, and _then_ show up here like nothing happened!"

His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer to her. "You will go in the house because you are in labor," he replied softly, in that same deadly tone he used against his brother.

She blinked at him. "Labor? What makes you say that?"

A slight trickling of clear, warm water down her legs, soaking her kimono, was her answer. She looked down, rather surprised and extremely embarrassed. _I didn't feel like I had to go to the bathroom…_

"Your birth waters have just broken. Do you need further proof?" Sesshoumaru regarded her wryly.

Straightening up, she gave him a Look of her own. "Why is it that you showed up here just as I was going into labor? How did you know?"

_Because I could feel your pain, itoshii. Because my worthless soul could feel yours, reaching out for me._

"Does it matter? I am here now, and you will go inside." He crouched down, looking much like Inuyasha had so long ago, making it easier for her to mount his back.

At her hesitation, he turned and glared at her. "I am not a patient youkai," he murmured. "This Sesshoumaru suggests you climb on before you give birth out here in the snow."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"For Kami's sake, _get it out of me_!"

Sesshoumaru barely managed not to wince at the shrill cry of his miko. He knew she was hurting- the tentative bond between them, still weak because he had not formally taken her as his mate, throbbed with the pains that were racking her body in an effort to bring his child into the world.

Rin and Shippou stood at the doorway to Lord Sesshoumaru's vast chambers. He had refused to take her to her own room, instead insisting that she give birth in _his_ room, in _his_ bed.

Before, she wondered at his perseverance. Now, the only thing filling her mind was the constant onslaught of cramping pains that were growing ever stronger and closer together.

_Should've paid more attention in health class… how long is labor supposed to last, anyway?_

She'd been in there since Sesshoumaru had returned in the afternoon, and the full moonlight shining through the window on her right showed that it was long after dark.

Kagome dug her nails into the mound of blankets and cloths covering the top of Sesshoumaru's bed as another pain gripped her belly. An increasing pressure had been noticeable for the last few minutes- was the baby coming out?

All of a sudden Rin gave a gasp, pointing at the window. "Look, Shippou-ni-chan… the moon!"

Kagome, Sesshoumaru, and Shippou all turned their heads to look at the full moon hovering over the trees. One side of the moon was slowly being covered by a dark shadow.

The tai-youkai's lip curled slightly. "A lunar eclipse. How… odd."

Kagome glared at him as she panted slightly. "What… do… you mean… odd?"

He shook his silver head, turning his attention and those devastating golden eyes back to her. "Do not concern yourself. You have other matters to attend to."

This time she growled, sounding just like an inu-youkai. "No kidding."

The pressure increased, to the point where she knew she had to do something or get ripped in two. "Kami… it's coming out…" she whispered hoarsely, sitting up awkwardly with her knees lifted.

The tai-youkai just looked at her with a blank look on his face. "You sure?"

If she had fangs, she would have bared them at him. "Damn it, it's going to tear me in half!" she barked.

He blinked at her unusual choice of words. His Kagome never swore. That meant she had to be serious. "What… is this Sesshoumaru supposed to do?"

Rin was the one who answered him. "Ooo! She needs warm water and drying cloths, my lord! So the baby can be bathed after it's born!"

Shippou looked up at her with renewed respect. "How do you know that?"

The little girl shrugged. "That's what the ladies that delivered babies in my village did…"

Sesshoumaru nodded at Shippou, who raced off to get some water and some cloths without a word.

Kagome whimpered.

Immediately he turned back to her, his face still quite expressionless. One would think ningens gave birth in his bedchambers on a regular basis.

Inside, however, he was a turmoil of emotions he didn't even know he had. Anxiety, anticipation, hope, love, and, yes, even a trace of fear for her safety and that of the babe's. Yet none of these registered on his cool features.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome dug her fingers into the blankets on the bed and pushed as hard as she could.

Shippou returned with a basin of almost hot water and a pile of drying cloths on his head. He set it down next to Sesshoumaru and piled the towels at the edge of the bed before racing back to the doorway with Rin.

Kagome took another breath and pushed again.

Outside, the lunar eclipse was almost complete.

The laboring mother gave another whimper. Sesshoumaru got up and sat on the edge of the bed, slightly behind, slightly beside Kagome. He put his arm around her shoulder in an effort to lend her his support.

Trickles of sweat slid down her temples as she opened her eyes, took another deep breath and pushed with all her strength. Sesshoumaru held her as if offering his power to aid her.

The moon became completely covered by the shadow- the lunar eclipse was complete.

A soft wail filled the silent room as a slippery baby emerged into the blankets covering Sesshoumaru's bed. Kagome and Sesshoumaru leaned forward as one to stare in wonder at the tiny miracle.

Shippou bounced over and handed Kagome one of the drying cloths. Rin followed right behind him, anxious to see the new arrival. The baby continued to cry its discontent.

Slowly, carefully, Kagome wiped the remnants of the birth off the baby. She looked it over, making sure everything seemed normal.

Well, normal except for the adorable tiny white dog ears flattened against the child's downy silver hair.

Kagome stared in silent speculation at the child's forehead. A light green crescent symbol, matching Sesshoumaru's lavender one, was quite evident in the dim light.

Shippou and Rin both began to dance around the room in delight. "Yay! It's a boy! It's a boy! We have a baby brother!" they sang.

Sesshoumaru pinched the cord and sliced neatly through it with one razor-sharp claw. Kagome blinked in surprise. "Arigatou," she whispered, still staring at the crescent on her son's forehead.

The inu-youkai was silent, regarding his new son in quiet contemplation. The child's aura was mostly red, with a hint of Kagome's lavender, light blue, and light green as well as his own red-orange. He narrowed his eyes.

Kagome wrapped the baby in an extra clean cloth and looked over at Sesshoumaru, who was still staring at the boy. "Did you want to hold him?"

Silently, he moved so she could place the tiny bundle on his arm. He stood, carefully cradling the infant close to his body.

The tiny hanyou opened his eyes and stared at his father. Familiar golden eyes blinked at the dim light.

The Inu no Taishou smiled. Openly grinned. Began to chuckle. Finally threw his head back and laughed out loud, a broad smile across his handsome face. His rich laughter filled the room with delight. Shippou and Rin looked at him like he was crazy.

Kagome stared at him in confusion. _Why was he laughing?_

Bringing himself under some semblance of control, Sesshoumaru looked back down at the golden-eyed infant staring at him intently, an unusual smile still upon his lips.

"Welcome back, Inuyasha. I was wondering where your soul went."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20- Ah _ha_! I bet you weren't expecting that! Thank you so much to everyone who has commented and reviewed my story! Please keep it up- it inspires me to keep going!**

Kagome stared at her nursing newborn son after Sesshoumaru had relinquished him back to her for his first meal. "Sesshoumaru?"

The tai-youkai looked up from the infant to Kagome's confused face.

"What did you mean by what you said? About Inuyasha's soul?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You are aware that sometimes creatures are reincarnated after their deaths as something or someone else, correct?"

She nodded slowly. _I'm Kikyou's reincarnation… I know all about _that_ subject…_

"My… the child is Inuyasha's reincarnation. His soul now resides in that body."

She still looked rather bewildered. "So… will he have any of the memories of his previous life?"

"You are that clay miko's reincarnation, are you not? Do you possess any of her memories or habits?"

Kagome shook her head. _Except that we both loved Inuyasha…_ "My memories are my own."

"Then it stands to reason that his will be similarly erased. It is, after all, a new life for him."

The children had gone to bed at last, exhausted but excited at the arrival of their new brother. The two of them were finally alone with their son.

Except that Kagome still didn't realize who had actually fathered her baby.

The new mother sighed tiredly. "Hai… a new life… for both of us." She glanced up at him through weary eyes. "I… I should be heading back to my room now… I feel bad that we've taken over your bed."

He gave her the tiniest smile. "Do not concern yourself. You need to rest."

Smiling one last time at him, Kagome closed her eyes and gave herself over to much-needed rest. The tiny hanyou was still nursing even though his mother had gone to sleep.

Sesshoumaru watched his son. _My son… my mate and my son, in my bed, where they belong…_

He nearly laughed again. Inuyasha had really surprised him with this little turn of events. He had _thought_ the baby's aura seemed familiar…

_Let's just see if you're more intelligent this time around, brother…_

The tai-youkai shook his head slightly. He had to stop thinking of the child as his brother's reincarnation and start thinking of him as his son.

The baby released Kagome's breast and began to fuss. Sesshoumaru carefully lifted the infant with his arm, cradling him.

The little boy continued to fuss. Apparently he needed to be burped or something. Sesshoumaru scowled slightly. _Of all the times I could use having my arm back again…_

Using his rather vast intellect, he moved to the foot of the bed and carefully lowered the little hanyou onto the blankets, far enough away from the edge to be safe. He placed him gently on his stomach and then, in an awkward, round motion, began to rub the baby's back.

_Look at me… I'm burping a baby for Kami's sake! How far has this Sesshoumaru fallen?_

_You're not just burping any baby, baka. That's your son, and you don't want him getting sick from an air bubble in his belly, do you?_

He grimaced. His youkai had a point. Cautiously he patted the tiny back as he circled, trying to get the little hanyou to stop fussing.

A rather loud burp emerged from the boy, causing Sesshoumaru to roll his eyes. _It looks like the pup is going to be more like Inuyasha than I suspected…_

_----------------------_

Kagome awoke the next morning feeling much refreshed but still tired. The first thing she noticed was that her very round belly was not anywhere near as round anymore. _That's right… I had the baby last night…_

The second thing she noticed was Sesshoumaru, tai-youkai of the Western Lands, snoozing in a nearby chair with the sleeping baby propped up on his shoulder and carefully held by his only remaining arm.

The scene made her so warm all over she was sure she'd melt. They looked so adorable, sleeping like that. _Who would have thought that Sesshoumaru would have such a compassionate side?_

Her smile faded. Her son… he needed a name. Not only that, he needed someone to guide him, teach him things about his heritage that she simply didn't know.

Perhaps Sesshoumaru would be willing to aid her in the education of his nephew.

Cautiously, carefully, she got out of the bed, wincing as lingering pains shot through her body. It had taken quite a beating in delivering her son and now it was letting her know it.

She wrapped a spare blanket around her as she silently padded over to where the two were sleeping. Softly she brushed the silver bangs off the tai-youkai's forehead, revealing his lavender crescent a bit more. Her heart ached for him, ached for wanting to be with him, to tell him how she felt.

Her gaze drifted from Sesshoumaru's handsome face down to her sleeping son. His perfect little face was relaxed against his uncle's shoulder, slightly open as he slept. His little dog ears were still flat against his head, almost buried in the downy silver-white hair. His green crescent was quite obvious against his pale skin, the only trait that seemed to confuse her. Tiny claws gripped Sesshoumaru's haori.

She smiled. _You need a name… I think I'll call you Tomaru…in honor of your uncle, who has helped me so much for so long._

Tomaru. She liked it. Toma, or flax, described the light goldenrod color of his eyes perfectly, and the "-maru" part was in honor of Sesshoumaru.

Leaning down she gave her little boy a kiss on his smooth cheek. She paused as lifted her head, her eyes wandering to Sesshoumaru's magenta-striped cheek.

_You'll wake him up…_

Kagome ignored the little voice warning her inside her head. _Then I just won't kiss his cheek._

She moved around to the front of his chair and leaned forward. She pressed a light kiss to Sesshoumaru's soft lips before straightening and returning to the bed. He didn't even stir.

Lying back against the pillows, she watched them for a very long time, two silver heads so close together, with matching crescents on their foreheads.

_It's strange_, she thought as her eyelids grew heavy again. _They look like father and son…_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"I would like to try and restore your arm today," Kagome said softly, glancing over at the tai-youkai sitting next to her in the grass.

It was now spring and the earth was renewed once more. Sakura blossoms fell like snow, covering the soft green grass with their pink and white petals. Shippou and Rin danced and played around in the meadow near where the miko and Sesshoumaru were sitting. Tomaru, sitting impatiently on his mother's lap, was fascinated by the falling blossoms and kept trying to crawl after them.

The boy had grown quickly, as Sesshoumaru had warned her he would. Being a hanyou, he developed faster than ningen babies- crawling sooner, sitting up sooner, and eventually walking and talking sooner.

Tomaru's teeth had started to come in, but luckily he had stopped nursing once he cut his first one.

She had nearly winced at the thought of nursing something with _fangs_… she didn't think her tender breasts could handle it.

Sesshoumaru turned his golden gaze away from Tomaru to look at Kagome's lovely face. "Today? Any particular reason why?"

She shrugged, smiling. "I just thought it'd be nice to give it a go. 'You never know until you try!' my mother always said."

The tai-youkai said nothing for a long moment, his watchful eyes locked on Tomaru. He was very protective of the boy, which warmed Kagome's heart more each day.

She knew she loved him. Completely. She just wouldn't ever admit it to anyone but herself. The cold, silent Inu no Taishou had captured her weak ningen heart.

That was why she couldn't tell him. She was just a mortal- she would grow old and die, while Sesshoumaru, being the near-immortal tai-youkai that he was, would live on for centuries after she had gone. To her, there was no point. Her life was merely an eyeblink to him.

"Very well."

It took Kagome a moment to realize he was giving her permission to try and restore his arm. Her thoughts always seemed to scatter when she was close to him. "Is now okay with you?"

He was tugging his haori out of his hakama as she asked the question. He glanced at her, his golden eyes sparkling strangely. "Unless you had other plans…" he said softly.

She blushed. _If only he knew…_ She longed to be with him, to feel his arm holding her close as his lips pressed hers, as his body claimed her as she had fantasized about so many times.

But it was just that- a fantasy. She'd never know what it was like to join with the expressionless inu-youkai. _I'm sure it'd be like touching heaven…_

Kagome turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru, her eyes widening slightly as she caught sight of his bare upper torso. Instead of simply sliding his shoulder out of his haori to give her access to the amputated limb, he had removed the entire garment and laid it in a heap on the grass next to him.

Tomaru crawled off Kagome's lap and onto the silk white and orange-red haori. Blinking, he yawned and curled up in a little ball, his tiny ears twitching as he quickly fell asleep.

Kagome looked at her son and smiled. _He certainly loves anything to do with Sesshoumaru…_

_As do I…_

Sesshoumaru placed his hand on the little hanyou's head, giving him an affectionate pat. Something always softened in his eyes when he was around the boy.

_He's a very devoted uncle… and the only male role-model Tomaru really has._

Clearing her throat, she looked closer at Sesshoumaru's arm. Or rather, what was left of it. It had, indeed, grown back some since the battle that had removed it from him, but it still had a long way to go. Longer than Kagome had time to wait for.

Taking a deep breath, she scooted closer and placed both her hands on his stump of an arm. Beneath his satin skin she could feel the concealed power, the incredible strength that he possessed, regardless of the fact he no longer used any part of the extremity.

Sesshoumaru's gaze never left her face as she focused on figuring out how to do this. She had never used her miko powers for any sort of healing before, but she had felt a latent power emerge shortly after Tomaru's birth and she was anxious to try it out.

Something in her face must have given away her doubt, because Sesshoumaru tipped up her chin with his fingers, gazing deep into her eyes. "Do not doubt yourself. I have every faith in your abilities."

Tears almost flooded her eyes. Coming from the usually skeptical tai-youkai that was the highest praise possible. She gave him a firm nod and turned back to her task.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, seeing without actually looking at his arm. She relaxed and focused her spiritual powers as she normally would when she would fire a sacred arrow in battle, but this time she tweaked the purpose behind it.

She coaxed the living tissues to grow, to expand and develop into bone, firm muscle, and smooth skin. In her mind's eye she could picture the flesh forming and changing, becoming that which was lost.

Sweat beaded her brow as long minutes passed. The children had stopped playing and had paused nearby to watch Kagome's work. Kagome's attention, however, was completely on her task.

The sun began its descent under the horizon by the time Kagome finished. Tomaru had already awakened and was now being entertained by his brother and sister. Sesshoumaru had not spoken a word since she had begun and, although she did not know it, his eyes had never left her beautiful face.

With a final gasp, she opened her eyes and assessed her work. His arm was completely restored, right down to the twin magenta stripes on his wrist and the claws on his fingers. The only flaw was the pink scar that ringed his upper arm, right where Inuyasha had sliced it off.

Sweat was dripping down her temples and rings of exhaustion darkened her eyes. Her entire body felt utterly drained. She looked quite gaunt. "Gomen… I… can't… remove… the scar…"

Sesshoumaru stared at his new arm, completely stunned. He hadn't thought she could actually do it- at least, not in one sitting. "Do not concern yourself over the scar. It is unimportant."

She gave him a weak smile just before she fell to the side, her vision going dark. She had used up so much of her energy, she had fainted.

The tai-youkai caught her in his arms. The sensation of having the limb back was disconcerting, but he knew he'd get used to it.

He enfolded her in a tender embrace, drinking in the scent of her. Rin and Shippou came closer, Shippou carrying Tomaru in his arms. "Is Mama okay?" Rin asked, worried.

He looked at the young girl. She was growing up so quickly… "She will be fine. She just needs rest."

Shippou nodded importantly. "We'll take Tomaru inside for you. You'll take Mom to her room, onegai?" Rin reached down and picked up the tai-youkai's haori, folding it over her arms to take inside.

Sesshoumaru nodded as he stood up with Kagome in his arms, bridal-style. Her head snuggled up against his bare chest, her palm flat against his breastbone.

He took her into the house as the sun dipped under the horizon. The last orange and red rays of the sun were slowly being overtaken by the purple velvet of the night sky.

The hallways were growing dim as he strode toward his bedroom. He wanted his child's mother in his bed, where he could keep an eye on her.

Closing the door behind him with one booted foot, he walked over to the bed and carefully laid Kagome down on the coverlet, her long black hair cascading like a jet waterfall over the pillow.

The room was dark, but the emerging starlight slowly illuminated the miko's features. The high cheekbones, the large, soft eyes, the sweet nose… everything about her entranced him.

He stared down at her for a long time, wondering if he should leave her or join her. At the very least, he should unwrap that obi from around her waist- that _had_ to be uncomfortable.

Lifting her carefully with his new arm, he used the other to untie the material and slide it off her slender waist. He dropped the silk to the floor and stepped back, the blood in his veins pumping hard.

She looked very much his mate, the mother of his children, lying there on his bed in the dark. Internally he waged war against his youkai, who wanted to take her all over again.

He couldn't mate with her again, but he _could_ sleep next to her and make sure she would be okay.

First he had to check on Tomaru. The little hanyou slept in his father's old bassinet, which Sesshoumaru had thought had been either destroyed or thrown out long ago. After all, he was over 300 years old- it should not have lasted this long.

Yet it seemed the bassinet was still as sound and sturdy as it had been centuries ago when he himself had occupied it. Apparently, his father and mother had the foresight to make sure their son was safe while he slept.

He left the room quietly and moved like a shadow down the hall to Kagome's room, where the bassinet was set up. Tomaru lay on his back inside, his little legs covered by a red blanket. His tiny ears twitched every so often, little radars picking up every little sound.

Sesshoumaru smiled one of his rare smiles as he gazed down at the little boy. Leaning down he placed a kiss on the child's forehead, right on the green crescent. "Sleep well, my son," he murmured into the darkness before he turned on his heel and left the room.

He never noticed the little girl hiding in the shadows in the corner.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22- To all my reviewers- Gomen nasai, but for some odd reason I can't access the reviews and comments for Tomaru's Story on MediaMiner. Feel free to send me your comments via email at vixen3879 at yahoo dot com. Arigatou! **

**(White Luna- you're the best! Thank you for all of your faithful comments!)**

**Oh, and this is a lemon chapter. Just so's ya know…**

Sesshoumaru slipped into his bedchambers as silently as he had left. Kagome still lay motionless on his bed, in the same position he had left her in- on her right side, facing the window.

He moved to her side and carefully lifted her, maneuvering her frail, limp body so she rested underneath the blankets.

Moving around to the other side of the bed, he quietly stripped off the remainder of his clothing- Rin hadn't shown up with his haori- and climbed under the covers of the bed, completely nude as was usual. He didn't even give it a second thought, as this was how he always slept.

He laid his head on the pillow, facing his miko. Her body was still turned away from him, but he felt closer to her than he had in a very long time.

----------------------

Kagome snuggled against the warmth pressed against her back. Her dreams, which had been filled with flashes of that single erotic vision with Inuyasha, caused little shivers of desire and need to shoot throughout her body.

Slowly opening her eyes, she blinked to focus better as she gradually realized she was not in her own room.

She turned her head to look at the source of the warmth snuggled against her.

Sesshoumaru lay on his side, facing her, his eyes closed and his breathing even. His new arm was draped casually over her side in a loose embrace, so light she hadn't even noticed it.

In sleep, his face was relaxed, even more beautiful than normal, because the cold, expressionless mask wasn't being held in place. Silver hair draped over his pillow and his shoulder, trailing down the hard planes of his chest.

His _naked_ chest. He eyes widened slightly to see the smooth expanse of flesh so close to her. She shifted slightly and she could feel alien contours pressing intimately against her bottom, the heat suffusing through the thin silk of her kimono.

_Holy Kami… he's… **completely naked**…_

A blush stole over her face. _Did we…? No… I still have my clothes on, and I would've remembered something like _that_…He must have just stayed with me because… maybe he was worried about me? After all, I did pass out after I restored his arm…_

Slowly, as not to disturb the sleeping tai-youkai, she rolled over so that she was facing him. He was so breathtakingly beautiful, with his smooth pale skin and extraordinary eyes. Even his pointed ears were compelling, making her want to reach out and trace the edge. _Not as cute as Tomaru's ears, but still…_

She reached up a hand to touch the magenta stripes on his exposed cheek. His skin was like porcelain, cool and flawless to the touch.

Abruptly, his magenta-striped eyelids opened and fathomless amber eyes regarded her clearly in the early morning light.

Her breath caught in her throat as she froze with her hand still gently touching his cheek.

"Good morning," he murmured, almost like a purr. "Are you feeling restored?"

Kagome's cheeks were still flaming. "H-hai… n-never felt b-better…"

His arm was still nonchalantly draped over her side, and he itched to pull her closer. "Why were you touching me like that?"

She blinked, embarrassed. "I… I just… wondered… if your crests… felt different than the rest of your cheek… that's all…"

Still he stared at her, his eyes sparkling strangely. "No other reason?"

Her gaze averted. It was time for honesty, or she'd never forgive herself later. "I… I needed… to. I needed to touch you, no matter how little." _It's now or never, girl…_ "I've… wanted to touch you, be near you… for a very long time."

His youkai howled in victory. Outwardly, the only change was the small smile that tilted his perfect lips. "The feeling is mutual."

His arm tightened around her, pulling him against his nude body. The heat of her flesh could be felt through the pathetically thin material of her kimono, which had opened slightly at her throat when she had rolled over. His lips captured hers in frantic need.

She met him with equal fervor. She slid her hands over his arms, his shoulders, up into his hair, soft as silk on her fingers. Arching against him, she offered him everything, asking only for this one experience in return.

He had other plans, though. This was it- the time was right. She would finally be his, his true mate, and he could finally claim his son.

He rolled her over onto her back and used both of his hands to leisurely open the front of her kimono, leaving her exposed to his molten gaze. Her rose nipples puckered under his scrutiny.

With his hand he traced the outline of her figure, starting with her still-swollen breasts, trailing down and over her very slightly rounded stomach, and finally to cup her generous hips. Her eyes blazed up at him with a fire that had nothing to do with anger.

"I want you, Sesshoumaru," she whispered, barely loud enough for even his keen youkai hearing to pick up. "Onegai…"

"Kagome," he murmured, lowering his head to nuzzle her neck. He squeezed a breast gently, earning him a soft moan.

It shook him- how much he wanted her, _needed_ her. This went beyond simple physical mating, beyond satiation of the body.

He let his hand drift lower, to the sanctuary he had possessed once before, and caressed her softly through her black curls. She whimpered, lifting her hips slightly against his hand.

Using the pad of his thumb, he found her hard little nubbin hidden so carefully inside her moist folds and rubbed tenderly, brushing her opening with his knuckles.

This time her barely-restrained cry was his reward. His fingers grew damp with the proof of her arousal.

Her scent nearly overpowered his self-control as he pulled back. Kagome whimpered and opened her eyes, confused. "Wh-what's wrong? Why did you stop?"

His eyes shifted colors like molten lava, ranging from golden orange to light amber yellow and back again. He locked his gaze on hers and refused to release her.

"There is something this Sesshoumaru has been… wanting to ask you. It needs to be asked before we go further."

Immediately she froze. _Kami… he's not going to ask me about my dream with Inuyasha or something, is he?_

"This Sesshoumaru… _I_… would ask you to be… the Lady of the Western Lands. …My formal mate."

Kagome blinked as his words registered on her passion-dazed brain. "Your… mate?"

"I believe the ningen term is 'wife.'"

"You're serious?"

"This Sesshoumaru does not joke."

Tears filled her eyes as she lifted her arms to embrace him. "Hai!" she cried, holding him tightly. "I'd do anything to be with you!"

The tai-youkai pulled away from her slightly. "Does that include the formal ceremony?"

"Like a wedding?"

He shook his head. "The formal mating ceremony. It is just between you and I, but it marks you as my mate and as Lady of the Western Lands."

Her eyebrow rose shakily. _Marking… _"A-and what does this… ceremony… include?"

The pad of his thumb rubbed against her bud again, reminding her of their previous activity. "A mating… just that."

He had her panting and writhing for more by the time he finally relented and released her. Carefully he turned her over onto her stomach and brought her up into a hands-and-knees position.

Kagome glanced back at him through desire-darkened eyes. "Wha…?" she murmured, unable to complete the entire _word_, let alone a coherent thought.

Sesshoumaru brought his extremely aroused body up behind her, nudging the tip of his erection against the warm wetness of her opening. Her head fell back as he began to push into her.

Grasping her hips for leverage, he slowly slid into her until he was fully inside her, her lush buttocks pressed against his groin.

Kagome moaned, digging her nails into the pillow.

He began to move against her, sliding in and out on her slippery arousal.

She whimpered.

He leaned forward and nudged her hair off her neck, revealing the green crescent just below the nape of her neck. It called to him, luring him, beckoning him to complete the mating, to take her as his own, forever. All the while, he continued to move in and out of her, building up the intense pleasure deep in her womb.

She cried out his name as he licked her satiny skin, right where the crescent was. Her body tightened and imploded around him as her breathtaking climax racked her body and fractured her senses.

Sesshoumaru bit down, hard, on the nape of her neck, his lower fangs puncturing the skin bearing the green crescent mark. Holding her in that primitive, dominant position he thrust against her, harder and faster until he came, spilling his seed inside her after so long an abstinence.

He released his grip on her neck and the two of them collapsed, exhausted and utterly spent, amid the tumbled bed sheets.

Opening his eyes, Sesshoumaru regarded the crescent on Kagome's back. Two tiny drops of blood barely hinted at where he had bit her. His saliva was now mixed with her blood via the two puncture marks on the crescent, and the green color shimmered, shifting to lavender, to match the one on his forehead. It was done. She was his, by every law of the land.

Kagome gave a well-satisfied sigh, staring through heavy-lidded eyes at the star-lit sky through the window.

"_That_… was _beyond_ incredible…"


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Sesshoumaru regarded his new mate as she dressed, eager to find Tomaru and begin the day's activities. He cleared his throat. "Kagome?"

She turned as she fastened her obi. "Hai? What is it?"

He stood and walked toward her, dressed simply in his usual haori and hakama. He had somehow materialized another haori this morning and she didn't really want to know how. "We need to talk."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Can it wait? I want to go wake up Tomaru."

"Tomaru is what we need to talk about."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "Is he all right? What happened? Is he sick?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry. He is perfectly fine. I checked on him myself last night before retiring. Shippou did a fine job of putting him to bed."

Kagome relaxed. "Thank Kami," she whispered. "If anything ever happened to him…"

She looked up at him, her eyes full of sadness. "He's… he's all I have left of Inuyasha," she murmured. "I know that bothers you, but Tomaru is my last link with him."

Golden eyes narrowed. "About that-"

He was cut off by a wail drifting down the hallway. Speak of the hanyou. "He is awake, it would seem," he said instead, knowing that she got very anxious when he cried. "You go to him and I will meet with you in the dining area."

She gave him a brilliant smile. "Hai. We have a lot to tell the children." She stood on her tiptoes to give him a lightning-quick kiss on his striped cheek before rushing out the door and heading for their son.

_Baka… you should have told her. She's your mate now- you have claimed her, now claim your son!_

_I can't. Not yet- when the time is right, and she is ready for it, I will tell her._

-------------------------------

"You… you're _what_?" Shippou asked, totally stunned.

"We're mated now, Shippou," Kagome replied cheerfully as she spooned mashed apples into Tomaru's waiting mouth. "Sesshoumaru and I are officially a couple."

Rin looked back and forth between the youkai who had resurrected her from the dead to the miko who had adopted her as her own daughter. Shippou merely narrowed his eyes at Sesshoumaru and stood up. "I don't believe it. Prove it. If you had taken her as your official mate, she would bear your mark. And _I don't see it_."

The kitsune had nerve- he had to grant him that. He knew what a little wimp he had been around Inuyasha- perhaps living around a more mature role-model had helped to toughen him up a bit.

Standing, the tai-youkai moved around next to Kagome where she sat sideways at the table, feeding Tomaru sitting at a make-shift high chair that Kagome herself had designed and created. He grasped her shoulders, turned her back to the kit and lowered the neckline of her kimono, brushing her long hair aside so that his lavender crescent was quite obvious. "Does that reassure you, kit?"

Mollified, he sat down again. "Hai."

"Does it bother you?"

Shippou looked surprised. "No. Should it?"

Rin finally spoke up. "You… married Mama?"

The tai-youkai turned to the little girl, his eyes softening a bit although the cool mask he always wore never changed. "In ningen terms, hai. She is what you would call my wife now."

She pondered that a moment. "So… can I call you Papa?"

Kagome choked on a smile. Shippou's eyes boggled. Sesshoumaru actually smiled slightly. "If that is what you wish."

"Yaaaaaay!" Rin cried as she stood up and ran around the table to launch herself against the inu-youkai's stomach. She wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight squeeze. "Rin has a Papa now too!"

Big brown eyes looked up at him innocently. "You're Tomaru's Papa, aren't you?" she said, more of a statement of fact rather than an actual question.

He froze. Completely and utterly. _He…_ _could… not… move._ He could only shift his eyes, which he turned to Kagome.

Who continued to feed the child in question as if the statement didn't affect her in the least. Tomaru, his face somewhat smeared with excess applesauce, giggled and twitched his little white ears. Kagome turned and grinned at the little girl. "Hai, Rin. Sesshoumaru will be Tomaru's Papa now too."

_Somehow_ he was able to start breathing again. He hadn't even realized he had stopped. Rin opened her mouth, possibly to elucidate about her query, when Sesshoumaru spoke first. "Perhaps we should celebrate," he said, slightly louder than normal, trying to drown out anything else the girl might reveal.

Rin grinned brightly as she clapped her little hands. "Oooo! That would be wonderful! A party!"

Shippou raised an eyebrow at his new father-figure but didn't speak what was on his mind. Instead he agreed with Rin's statement. "I agree. A party to celebrate your new mate would be ideal."

_Kit's even starting to sound like me…_ "Very well. I shall tell Jaken to begin preparations at once."

As he turned to leave, Shippou watched him through narrowed green eyes. Something fishy was going on here, and it wasn't the salmon that was on the menu for dinner.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24- Y'all asked for it, you got it! You'd better enjoy it, too! -wink-**

Sesshoumaru paced the bedchamber, glancing every so often at the calm, collected miko sitting quietly on their bed. Her clothing and Tomaru's bassinet had been moved into his chambers the day they announced their mating to the children.

Tomaru, the mischievous little hanyou, sat on his mother's lap, chewing contentedly on a scrap of leather. He was dressed very handsomely in a tiny white and light green haori and hakama that bore similar patterns to Sesshoumaru's orange-red and white clothing. Kagome had even managed to brush the scamp's hair so that he looked rather presentable.

"When I said celebration, I meant a private party, for just us and the children," he grumbled as he paced. His usual white and orange-red garb was replaced by one similar- this time orange-red with the same white pattern trim. It was merely a reversal of his normal colors, showing his dominant color.

Kagome gave him a brilliant smile. She was dressed in an elegant lavender formal kimono, complete with a silver obi that bore strands of silver and lavender beads sprouting from a delicate fabric flower off to one side. Her hair was pulled up in an enchanting style with silver sticks with silver tassels on the ends holding her hair up. She looked every inch the Lady of the Western Lands. "Don't be so worried! Jaken was right to invite the other clans to celebrate with us. After all, the Inu no Taishou doesn't take a ningen bride every day."

He almost rolled his eyes. _Hai… not since the last time, nine months before Father and Izayoi had Inuyasha…_

It had been about a month since they formally mated and Jaken had thrown himself into his task with unusual enthusiasm. Now, all the clans from the four different Lands had arrived and were mingling in the long-unused ballroom, made beautiful and sparkling by the talented woman smiling innocently at him.

The tai-youkai wasn't overly concerned with having the other clan representatives here- he was more concerned about reactions to Tomaru. He still had not been able to tell Kagome the truth about the boy's paternity- the timing never seemed to be right.

Well, maybe now would be the right time. Rather than wait to see if one of the delegates would accidentally comment on his heir, he decided it would be better if he told her the truth now, before they joined the celebration. "Kagome?"

Wide innocent eyes regarded him, filled with love. "Hai, itoshii?"

He almost smiled. He loved hearing that endearing term from her lips. "There is something we need to discuss. Now, before we join the others."

She blinked up at him as Tomaru giggled. "What's wrong?"

"It's about… my son."

Shock registered in her eyes, but she managed to keep her face neutral. "You… you have a son?"

Golden eyes stared straight at her, unrelenting. "Hai. I have a son. The heir to the Western Lands and the next Inu no Taishou."

Kagome swallowed hard. "I see." She tried to keep the sadness from her face as she looked up at him. "This… is a surprise. I didn't…" She grasped for coherent words. "D-do you see your son? I mean, does he… know who you are?"

"I see him every day. I have spent every day with him since the day he was born and I first held him in my arms."

"Oh." Taking a deep breath she gave him a shaky, weak smile. "Well, do I get to meet him? Or won't his mother allow it?"

He walked towards her, never blinking, never taking his eyes off hers. "I'm sure his mother will allow it. She is the most amazing woman I have ever had the privilege to know."

Her heart sank. Was he still in love with his son's mother? "S-she sounds… very nice," she murmured.

"She is more than nice. She would gladly give up her happiness to save a loved one's life. She is simply the most selfless, most loving, most beautiful female I've ever known, other than my mother."

Despair gripped her gut as she struggled to breathe. Tomaru wriggled, trying to loosen his mother's grip on him so he could get down and get into trouble. "You love her," she said simply, without emotion.

Golden eyes sparkled. "Hai. This Sesshoumaru loves her very much. I always will." He reached down and gently lifted Tomaru out of her arms, holding him up to his shoulder. Two pairs of gold eyes stared at her intently.

She glanced up, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "If I may ask… where… is your son now?"

A slight smile curved the corner of his perfect mouth. "Right here, in my arms."

Tomaru twitched his ears and gave his mother a partially-toothy grin.

Complete bewilderment swept over Kagome's face. "What?"

"Tomaru is my son. He is my heir."

Relief flooded her body. "I know he's your son. You've been the only father figure he's ever known. You've been so wonderful in adopting him as your own, just like with Rin and Shippou."

She stood up and walked over to him, looking much more relieved and much happier as she thought she understood. "Are you sure, though, that you would want to make Tomaru your heir? I mean, what if we have a baby of our own? Wouldn't you want your own son to become Inu no Taishou?"

His golden eyes hardened slightly. "Kagome, look closely." He lifted Tomaru's silver white bangs to expose the green crescent mark.

The hanyou's mother stared uncomprehending at the mark. "So? Isn't that a family mark? One that just skipped Inuyasha?"

"Look closer, koi."

Her heart beating faster as he called her _his_ _love_, she leaned in closer and peered at her son's forehead as he grinned up at her, little ears twitching merrily.

A very, very thin lavender line outlined the light green crescent. It was so thin that it was unnoticeable unless one was looking for it.

He gently touched her chin, turning her face slightly to his. "Now look at mine."

She lifted his silver bangs away from his forehead, looking closely at the lavender crescent. It bore an extremely thin light green line around it, so inconspicuous that even she hadn't noticed it during all their nights together.

Confusion clouded her gaze as she looked at Sesshoumaru, his face now next to Tomaru's. They both stared at her with the same blank look, the only differences being Tomaru's ears and Sesshoumaru's magenta stripes.

"The matching crescent mark you bear on your neck, the proof that you are now my mate, also bears the light green line," he said softly, "because you are Tomaru's mother."

Something clicked into place, making Kagome's stomach hit the floor as she stared at him with wide, baffled eyes. "Isn't… it because… you adopted Tomaru?" she whispered, almost too soft to be heard.

"No, Kagome. I was the one with you that day in the hot spring room. Not Inuyasha, not his spirit. It was I who had saved you when you almost drowned.

"I am the one who fathered your child."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

A stunned silence met the tai-youkai's announcement. Kagome's heart felt like it had been hit by a truck.

Both pairs of golden eyes blinked at her at the same time. Her hands flew to her mouth, as if to stop the scream that threatened to escape.

It was true. It had to be. How else could those two look, act, so much alike? Why didn't she see it sooner?

Kami, it was _Sesshoumaru_ she had given herself to during her oxygen-deprived stupor after nearly drowning in the hot spring. Not Inuyasha. Not the hanyou she had loved.

His brother. His cold-hearted, emotionless youkai brother.

Oh, she knew how cold-hearted he really was now. Why else would he let her linger for this long, believing her son to be the result of one last encounter with her lost love?

Tears filled her eyes and spilled over, cascading rapidly down her cheeks. Accusation, betrayal, and fury filled those eyes until they nearly glowed.

"You _bastard_."

Confusion filtered into the tai-youkai's eyes. "Nani? Kagome, I thought you'd be happy. Now there are no more secrets between us and we can go on as we have before."

"You cold, heartless bastard!" she screamed, tears flowing stronger now. "You- you deliberately took advantage of me, of my grief over Inuyasha to fulfill your obligations to sire an heir!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes turned as hard as granite. "That is a lie, miko."

"How the hell am I supposed to believe you? You've lied to me all along! You killed Inuyasha, seduced me and got me pregnant, and then let me believe that the baby was Inuyasha's!"

Topaz eyes narrowed. "I never seduced you- if anything, you seduced me. And I never once agreed that Tomaru was my brother's pup."

Tomaru, aware of the strife between his parents, began to cry, wiping his eyes with little fists. He looked at his mother and held out his arms, wanting her to hold him and comfort him.

Kagome stared at the hanyou, unable to believe that her little Tomaru was the result of deception and illusion, rather than of a last beautiful moment with Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru's already rigid countenance stiffened more. "Our son wants his mother. Are you planning on denying him?"

Her tear-stained face turned to him as if still unable to accept the truth. For a long time she didn't move.

Turning abruptly, she ran from the room, sobbing her heart out, leaving her son in the arms of his father.

Sesshoumaru watched her go as Tomaru wailed louder, turning towards his father's shoulder and burying his little face in the orange-red haori, clutching the silk material with tiny claws.

The tai-youkai sighed as he patted his son's back, trying to soothe the crying hanyou. "It will be all right, son. She just needs time."

----------------------

Kagome sat in the gardens alone, the occasional sniffle escaping as she curled up in a corner where two hedges met. Her conscious had finally had enough, it seemed, and was doing a fine job of berating her.

_I don't understand what your problem is, girl. You love Sesshoumaru, right?_

Sniff. _So?_

_So? So, you just acted like the man raped you and tossed you aside! He was there every step of the way, wasn't he? He helped deliver Tomaru, didn't he? And doesn't he seem like a very caring father?_

_He is… he loves all three of the children very much, even though Shippou and Rin aren't really his at all…_

_And he loves you._

_If he loves me, he shouldn't have lied to me!_

_He lied to you because you were so caught up in your grief over Inuyasha he didn't want to bother you! He lied to you because you were so convinced Tomaru was the last part of Inuyasha you had left! When, in truth, you were only clinging to that because you felt so guilty for your seeming part in his death!_

A huge wave of guilt washed over her, causing a small hiccup to escape. _…It _was_ my fault Inuyasha turned into a youkai and went on a rampage and had to be killed. It was all my fault, because I thought by using the Shikon no Tama to save his life, that my love for him would protect us and allow us to be together forever. I was wrong._

_What of your love for Sesshoumaru? Is that wrong? Is that a lie?_

Kagome took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

_No. My love for Sesshoumaru could never be wrong. I held on to my feelings for Inuyasha out of guilt for his death. Now I realize that I need to let go- or I may lose everything I love all over again._

_And Tomaru? You left your little boy behind._

_No! I love my son! I would never leave him!_

_Even though he's Sesshoumaru's son and not Inuyasha's?_

Her heart beat strongly with conviction as she stood up, facing the house where everyone celebrated, unaware of the troubles between the master and mistress.

_It's better that he is Sesshoumaru's son. I… I really wanted Tomaru to be his, anyway…_

_I know. And I think you need to make sure _Sesshoumaru_ knows, too. He must have cared for you very much to make you his wife…_mate_… After all, you are a ningen, and it is common knowledge how much the great Inu no Taishou hates humans._

She sighed as she walked back toward the house. _Do… do you think he hates me now? For running away and saying all those awful things to him?_

_Don't ask me. Ask him._

_And while you're at it, Lady of the Western Lands, you might want to apologize._


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Kagome took a deep breath as she slowly opened the door to Sesshoumaru's bedchamber. Peering inside, she winced when she saw her husband, her lord, her _mate_, standing in front of the large window to her left, staring out into the night. Tomaru rested comfortably in his father's arms, staring at the large white moon in similar fascination.

They were still dressed in their formal robes, ready to join the festivities in the ballroom. Yet they seemed to be waiting.

Were they… waiting for her?

She was certain that Sesshoumaru would join the party without her, if only to announce Tomaru as his heir.

Two pairs of ears- one hanyou, one youkai- perked up slightly and turned toward the doorway where Kagome stood silently.

Girding her loins, as it were, she stepped fully into the chamber, closing the door behind her.

It was time to swallow her pride.

Sesshoumaru turned completely, facing her. Tomaru clung to his father, worried that his mother might reject him again. Two pairs of matching gold eyes regarded her coolly.

Kagome knelt down on her knees, put her hands on the floor in front of her, and lowered her body to the floor in supplication. She let her head fall forward, slightly exposing the lavender crescent on her neck.

The tai-youkai's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Forgive me, Sesshoumaru. I beg of you to pardon the words I spoke in stupidity and anger. I did not mean them."

Sesshoumaru stepped forward, still silent. Tomaru whimpered lightly.

She lowered her head even more, touching her forehead to the ground as tears filled her eyes. "Onegai, Sesshoumaru. I regret my words and my actions earlier. Onegai, forgive me."

"Why?" came the curt question.

Kagome lifted her head, allowing thin streaks of tears to trickle down her cheeks.

"Because… I love you, Sesshoumaru. I love you, and I love our son."

The tai-youkai's face never changed, but inside, his heart began to beat fast and hard. Never, since his mother had died, had anyone told him those words, those precious words. He was feared, he was loathed- he was never loved.

Yet this miko, this ningen- she loved him. She had declared her love for him and her scent revealed no deception.

Crouching down, he set Tomaru down on his tummy, where he promptly got up on his hands and knees and crawled over to his bowing mother. Kagome watched her son crawl with proud, tear-filled eyes. "My little boy," she whispered.

Tomaru reached out to her with one little hand, his gold eyes forgiving. "Ma…ma?" he said.

Kagome gasped. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow in surprise. "He… he spoke!" she whispered in shock. "He said his first word!"

His father smiled proudly. "Of course. He is our son, after all."

With that simple sentence, Kagome burst into renewed tears. The tai-youkai regarded her in slight confusion. "What is the problem now?"

"I'm just s-so s-sorry!" she cried, lowering her head again. "I've b-been such a grade A b-baka and you've been so w-wonderful to me…!"

He gently grasped her wrist and pulled her out of her submissive position, raising her to sit back on her heels. "Do not concern yourself about the past any longer. Tonight, we begin our future."

She sniffed. "Really? Just you and me?"

"And our 'litter,' as Jaken affectionately calls them."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Jaken? _Affectionate_?"

"It _has_ been known to happen occasionally."

Kagome smiled, the first genuine smile she had really felt in a very long time.

Sesshoumaru looked deep into her eyes as Tomaru sat on his round little butt and watched his parents with great interest. "Did you mean what you said, Kagome? When you said… you loved me?"

Her eyes sparkled happily. "I did. I love you, Sesshoumaru, Inu no Taishou of the Western Lands, with all my pathetic ningen heart."

He smiled at her, a very rare expression on his face. "It was your ningen heart that made me realize what love truly is," he replied softly, pulling her closer. "And my love is you."

Kagome sniffled again, her expression growing sad. "What is wrong now?" he asked.

She looked away. "I… I'm just a human. I won't live nearly as long as you will. I will be no more than an eyeblink of your long life. You probably won't even remember me."

Sesshoumaru actually laughed. "Woman, don't you understand? When I made you my formal mate, when I mixed my saliva with your blood- I lengthened your lifespan. You will live as long as I will, aging no more than I do." His arms tightened around her and he lowered his lips slowly towards hers.

She blinked. "You… you did? I will? We- we'll be together?"

His lips captured hers in a pledge. "Forever, koi. This Sesshoumaru promises you."

-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-

**Ooooo! Should I end it there? Should I write an epilogue? Should I write a sequel? Aaaaaaaaaugh! I don't know what to doooooooo! Decisions, decisions. Well, when I know, you'll know, ne? Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! I got more reviews for my Kagome/Sesshoumaru fic than my normal Inuyasha/Kagome fic. Go figure. I guess Sesshoumaru is sexier after all… -grin- Anyways, arigatou, minna!**


	27. Epilogue

**Epilogue- Dedicated to all my readers**

A tall, slender, lovely girl, on the brink of womanhood, stood silently outside the closed chamber door. Her long black hair brushed the small of her back and her chocolate eyes stared at the wooden barrier with only a slight flicker of worry and concern. She kept her small, dainty hands folded in front of her, the long sleeves of her sunshine yellow kimono almost covering them completely.

A crash and a squeal caused the girl to shift her gaze from the door to a silver-haired boy racing down the hall, his golden eyes wide and his white dog ears nearly flat against his skull. His green and white silk robes were all askew and there were… ribbons in his hair?

"Rin!" the 9-year-old whispered frantically as he skidded to a halt in front of the older girl. "Help me, onegai!"

Rin narrowed her eyes slightly. "Again?"

The boy sighed, lowering his head in shame, his ears drooping pitifully. "Hai. Again."

The three youngest children of the Inu no Taishou, Sesshoumaru, and his ningen miko mate, Kagome, Tamiko, Kioko, and Aiko, were a terror to their older brother, Tomaru, who tried in vain to escape their girly clutches daily.

Granted, they were littler than him, but they loved to "prettify" the heir to the Western Lands as often as they could.

And being the good big brother that he was, he would almost always let them.

However on some occasions, such as today, when the Lord of the Southern Lands and his immediate family were coming over to discuss treaties and politics, he obviously didn't want to disgrace his father by showing up looking like he'd fallen in the Cursed Spring of Drowned Girl in Jusenkyo, China. That was some other guy's problem.

Three giggling voices could be heard coming down the hall. "Tooooooomaruuuuuu!"

Golden eyes pleaded with her. "Onegai, Rin-ane-ue?" he begged, using the endearment he knew would work.

Rin stifled a sigh. "Tomaru, do you know where Mama and Father are?"

He blinked in confusion as the giggling got closer. "No… why? Should I? They should be getting ready for the Ookami no Taishou and his family to arrive…"

The older girl's chocolate eyes glanced at the wooden door across the hall from where they stood. "Apparently someone couldn't wait to arrive."

Tomaru's gaze followed his older sister's and stared at the closed door. His keen hanyou hearing could pick up the sounds of his mother inside. "Oh, Kami… _now_?"

"Hai."

Three delighted squeals caused the hanyou to wince, flattening his ears again. "Big brooooother! We found youuuu!"

Three hanyou girls glomped the poor boy, giggling like crazy. Tamiko, the oldest at 8, bore delicate pale pink crests on her cheeks, one on each side rather than the two her father had. Her long silver hair was pulled back in a braid.

Kioko, 6, giggled wildly, showing off her little fangs. She, too, bore the typical white dog ears, but the tips were black- almost like a fox's. Her cheeks displayed thin, jagged yellow crests.

Finally, Aiko, the youngest at 5, squeezed her brother's arm as tightly as she could, her long black hair tied back in a cute white bow. Two black dog ears twitched in delight as she smiling lovingly up at her beloved brother. Two white crests mimicked Sesshoumaru's on each cheek.

"Ack! Geoffme!" he yowled from underneath the pile of sisters.

Everyone froze as the great wooden door opened and their father, Sesshoumaru, stepped out silently, his tolerant gaze sweeping over his children.

Finally, his golden eyes landed on Rin, locking with her chocolate ones. "Where is Shippou?" he asked as if it really didn't matter.

"In the dining room, discussing the atmosphere with Jaken," she replied in a similar manner. Living with Sesshoumaru for all these years had really changed her demeanor from spunky, naïve child to responsible, collected adolescent.

Of course, having four younger siblings helped quite a bit as well.

A slight smile tugged at his lips as his youngest daughters crowded around him, hugging him wherever there was room. "Daddeeeeeeeee!" they squealed in delight.

"Girls," he murmured, causing them to snap into a line, all innocence and discipline, looking up at him with three pairs of identical gold eyes.

"Hai, Daddy," they chorused.

Shippou rounded the corner, looking rather perturbed. "I swear, I'm going to kitsune-bi that toad and serve his back legs for dinner," he growled.

Shippou, now in his mid-teens, was turning into a very good-looking kitsune indeed. His long golden hair was pulled back in a high ponytail like it had been when he was younger, but he had foregone the turquoise bow, opting instead for a turquoise band to secure it.

Large forest-green eyes looked out from a handsome face, framed by pointed ears. His body had lengthened a great deal, turning muscular from training with Sesshoumaru and Tomaru. He was lean and athletic, and his kitsune powers had increased immensely.

He was dressed quite nicely in a turquoise haori and tan hakama, his long golden tail trailing behind him like a banner. Girls, ningen and youkai alike, adored him and not-so-secretly pined for him.

The kitsune stopped when he saw the group in front of his adoptive parents' door. "What did I miss?"

Sesshoumaru turned his golden gaze upon his eldest son. "Only the arrival of someone we've been waiting quite some time to meet."

Everyone held their breath in suspense.

The tai-youkai turned and opened the door once more, gesturing to the group to enter.

Single-file, from oldest to youngest, they entered their parents' bedchamber to see their mother, Kagome, propped up on some pillows and holding a tiny bundle in her arms. She smiled tiredly at her children.

"Come in, kids, and meet your new brother."

Tomaru gave an un-tai-youkai-like cheer, jumping in the air for joy. Sesshoumaru shot his son a glance and the boy grinned sheepishly, but settled down. "Gomen, Father," he mumbled, scratching a fuzzy white ear with his claw.

"Why are you apologizing, pup?" he asked. "It gives me great pride that you are pleased about your brother's arrival."

"'S'not that," Tomaru explained, then winced at his father's sharp look. "I mean, it isn't that- I'm just happy that he's not another sister…"

Shippou suppressed a snort. Rin rolled her eyes. Three golden-eyed little girls glared up at their brother. Kagome shook her head, smiling.

Sesshoumaru, Inu no Taishou of the Western Lands, threw his head back and laughed, an _extremely_ rare sound coming from the usually stern and cool-featured tai-youkai.

Sometimes the boy acted so much like Inuyasha it scared him. Was his brother's soul shining through Tomaru that much, or was the hanyou simply destined to be a troublemaker regardless?

Inuyasha himself only knew.


End file.
